Intermediate
Swing
Long-short eighth note pairs. The backbone of jazz — everything leans forward.
Jazz · Big Band · Blues·120–200 BPM
Tap to play
BPM144
Strong beatBeatRest
About Swing
Swing transforms written eighth notes into a triplet-based long-short pattern. Instead of dividing the beat evenly in two, the first eighth lands on the downbeat and the second lands on the final third of a triplet. The result is a lilt, a forward lean — what musicians call 'jazz time'. The degree of swing varies from a gentle lilt at slow tempos to an almost dotted-eighth/sixteenth pattern at fast tempos.
How to identify it
- 1Listen for the uneven subdivision — eighth notes don't land evenly between beats
- 2The 'and' of each beat falls slightly late compared to straight time
- 3Ride cymbal pattern: ding-ding-da-ding is the classic jazz marker
- 4Compare to shuffle: swing is lighter and faster; shuffle is heavier and bluesier
Train this style
Famous examples
In the Mood
Glenn Miller
Classic big band swing
Take the A Train
Duke Ellington
Medium swing, clear feel
Sing Sing Sing
Benny Goodman
Driving swing at tempo
All of Me
Billie Holiday
Vocal swing phrasing
Often confused with
All styles