Re: [Harp-L] swingin 16ths

[Michael Rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

I think of a beat as 100 points.

8th notes are at the 0% and the 50%, then the beginning of the next beat
being the next 0%.

Most often, swung eighth notes have the  upbeat at 66%.

66% divided by 2 is 33%.

16ths notes are at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and then the beginning of the next
beat is the next 0%.

I place swung 16th notes loosely at 0%, 33%, 50% and 83%.

Get a metronome and set it so it clicks a 4 click phrase, with the first
click making a different sound than the rest.  Most people would think of
this as the beginning of 4 downbeats in a bar of 4/4.

Instead think of it as 4 straight 16th notes.  The first click with its
unique sound is 0%, the next 25%, then 50%, then 75%.

To begin to sense swung 16ths, play on the 0%, then a little after the 25%
(shooting for 33%), then at the 3rd click (50%), then a little after the
4th click(shooting for 83%).  Then repeat.

After a bit you should be able to feel swung 16ths notes and then play them
in songs.

I hope this helps.
Michael Rubin
michaelrubinharmonica.com

Generally


On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 1:04 PM, Arthur Jennings <timeistight@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> I think a lot of Funk music is played with swung sixteenths. I don't think
> it uses swung eights, though.
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 10:24 AM, Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx
> >wrote:
>
> > Good point, Jerome
> >
> > I remember hearing Stuff Smith take a violin solo on a Nat Cole record.
> He
> > played nothing but quarter notes on the beat, and it swung like hell!
> >
> > I've heard Louis Armstrong do the same thing. That famous video of him
> > singing and playing Dinah live in Copnhage in 1930-something has some
> > examples of that.
> >
> > Winslow
> >
> > Winslow Yerxa
> > President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the
> > Harmonica
> > Producer, the Spring 2014 Harmonica Collective
> > Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
> >             Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
> >             Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
> > Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
> > Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> >  From: JersiMuse <jersimuse@xxxxxxxxx>
> > To: 'Boris Plotnikov' <ploboris@xxxxxxxxx>; 'Music Cal' <
> > macaroni9999@xxxxxxxxx>; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> > Sent: Thursday, April 3, 2014 12:42 AM
> > Subject: RE: [Harp-L] swingin 16ths
> >
> >
> > Honestly, I'd be surprised if you could get any sense of swing that way.
> > In my (very) humble opinion, the only thing that creates swing is where
> you
> > put the accents.
> > Listen to actual jazz players : they swing, whereas most of them play
> > straight 8ths (and 16ths).
> > Once you got the right accents, you can begin to play more laid back. If
> > you
> > do the other way around (like a lot of harp players do, I have to admit),
> > you'll only have longer notes on the beat, but that does not create any
> > kind
> > of swing (to my opinion, this is a sort of urban legend).
> > Listen to Charlie Parker (just an example), slow down his 16ths, and
> you'll
> > hear that he puts his accents exactly the same way he does on 8ths.
> > Nothing changes but the celerity. I guess that's why he is a master :-)
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Jerome Peyrelevade
> > www.youtube.com/JersiMuse
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Message d'origine-----
> > De : harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] De la
> > part
> > de Boris Plotnikov
> > Envoyé : jeudi 3 avril 2014 08:50
> > À : Music Cal; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> > Objet : Re: [Harp-L] swingin 16ths
> >
> > First step to swinging 16th is practicing sextoles, 6 notes per one
> > quarter.
> > Get a rather slow tempo (around 60-80) and play at least some notes in
> > sextoles, 1) by tonguing (ta-ki-ta-ta-ki-ta) or just 2) by changing notes
> > (e.g. cycle 4d 5b 5d 4d 5b 5d) or mix 3) 4d 4d 5b 5b 5d 5d or 4) roll 4d
> > 4db
> > 3d 4d 4db 3d. Feel the pulse, then omit 2-nd note and 4th note (make 1st
> > and
> > 3rd note longer) and you'll get swinging 16th.
> >
> >
> > 2014-04-03 9:29 GMT+04:00 Music Cal <macaroni9999@xxxxxxxxx>:
> >
> > > So I am guessing most players on this list know how to swing 8th notes
> > > to get the lilting laid back feeling so characteristic of jazz. But
> > > how do you (as in you) swing 16th notes? One could just "double time"
> > > the feel of the 8th note swing but IMO the result does not lilt. Or
> > > one could double time the eighth note feel for every other pair of
> > > 16th notes - has a better lilt IMO. So how do you do it? Or do you just
> > play 16th notes straight.
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Thanks, Boris Plotnikov
> > http://borisplotnikov.ru
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Arthur Jennings
> http://www.timeistight.com
>