Mastering Swing Feel and Finding That Perfect Swing - a podcast by Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur

Welcome to episode 266 where today we talk about swing feel, what it is, how to properly swing, and some common mistakes musicians make. Swing is the most unique style to jazz, despite there being multiple straight eighth styles associated with jazz. But what exactly makes up a swing feel, and how do we find the balance between"over swinging"and"under swinging."This episode gets you headed in the right direction.



Listen to episode 266Even though jazz has a lot of different styles and grooves associated with the genre, the most unique to the style is swing.



The idea of swinging your eighth notes, then of course all the other rhythmic associations that come with that. I mean, even a bass player just playing quarter notes can swing really hard and have that feeling underneath it. But I hear a lot of musicians not really quite hitting the mark. Not really getting the swing feel correct.



And so, I want to dive into that in today's episode, to really kind of discover the rhythmic background to the swing feel and then try to figure out what is the sweet spot with swinging and playing eighth-note lines that are straight, what's the beautiful perfect match between the two of those that will really make us groove really hard.



In this episode:1. Swung eighth notes are based off of a triplet pattern



2. How to play straight eighth, triplet eighths, and swung eighths3. Avoid accenting the"let"of the triplet.



4. Finding the sweet spot between straight and swung eighth notes5. Copying other jazz musicians swing feel will help you better understand the feeling of a good swing feel



Important Links1. Podcast Sponsor: Modacity (music practicing app)



2. LJS Inner Circle Membership

Further episodes of Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Further podcasts by Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur

Website of Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur