How many of you swing?

The Scorpio

Senior Member
Ok let's talk about swing. I'm not referring to the jazz/big band style swing (although learning how to "swing" in this style is crucial to the type of "swing" i'm referring to.)

I'm talking about quasi-swing. The type you hear specifically in rock and roll. Moon, Starr, Bonham, Paice, Greb, Gadd, Keltner, and EVERY Motown drummer (as well as countless others) are masters of quasi-swing.

I kind of think of it like 1 & 2 & ah 3 & 4 & ah, where the "ah's" are not completely triplet feel, but halfway in between straight and triplet feel.

One of my favorite examples of this is John Bonham's groove in "Stairway to Heaven" right after "To be a rock and not to roooooooollllll" SMACK BOOM BOOM BOOM CRASH!!!!! Then the groove kicks in.

Ummm....excuse me, I couldn't help but rock out for a moment there.

Anywho . . . . how do you guys feel about swing. Do you find yourself using it a lot in your playing? Not at all? What the heck is swing and why should I care?

-Kyle
 
by the title of this thread i thought we were entering a dark place
 
by the title of this thread i thought we were entering a dark place

HA! me too....

I think bits and pieces of swing here and there add a lot of flavor to songs that would otherwise sound boring to my ear. I catch myself swinging notes here and there on the ride and hats, it gives tracks a slight funky feel that is very cool.
 
My understanding of swing is that it is more of a jazz beat in 5/4 time. Take 5 by the Dave Brubeck is a good example. As far as rock songs, 'Yours is no Disgrace' comes to mind in that part where the singing is soft. Actually it's in the the instrumental part. This may not be the best example.
 
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You are getting very close to shuffles with those drummers and not so much swing IMHO
 
Swing is a feel. I have it. I used to try and burn...now I'm content to cook.
Was that earlier post about swing is in 5/4 time etc a joke? I mean you can swing in any
time signature if you have it.
 
Swing is a feel. I have it. I used to try and burn...now I'm content to cook.
Was that earlier post about swing is in 5/4 time etc a joke? I mean you can swing in any
time signature if you have it.

You call swing what I call shuffle. I can shuffle man. That's what I do.
 
I think this swing you refer to is more vibe than a technical feel. You just want to make the music feel good. Like "groove". It's just a word but for a lot people it's very important that you find it. If you can't make it feel good, then there's something wrong with you. The reason it's important is because people get hired for how good it feels when they play as opposed getting the notes perfect.
 
I think this swing you refer to is more vibe than a technical feel. You just want to make the music feel good. Like "groove". It's just a word but for a lot people it's very important that you find it. If you can't make it feel good, then there's something wrong with you. The reason it's important is because people get hired for how good it feels when they play as opposed getting the notes perfect.

And THAT's the "swing" I'm talking about!

dead on...
 
I actually have to work to play straight. I'm a rock drummer more than anything else, but I swing almost everything I do. I totally agree that it's a feel thing. I've started teaching a couple students, and I'm trying to emphasize feel over technicality.
 
I swing both ways. Sometimes on top, like Copeland, sometimes just under, like Gadd. Sometimes I even get to play a raunchy 6/9 if the others are willing.

...
 
I'm talking about quasi-swing. The type you hear specifically in rock and roll. Moon, Starr, Bonham, Paice, Greb, Gadd, Keltner, and EVERY Motown drummer (as well as countless others) are masters of quasi-swing...

... I would add Jeff Porcaro and Bernard Purdie. :)

...BOOM BOOM BOOM...

bass drum, he? ...that makes me think of something! (I typed that with an evil grin on my face...)

Do you find yourself using it a lot in your playing?

Yes I do, not quite a suffle or a half time suffle and neither a "jazz swing" pattern, it's between a straight feel and a swung/suffle feel, I'm a big fan of this type of feel, it makes the music's grooving so much in the right context, it's all about "finding" the right feel, especially with the 16th notes. :)

@ Duracell, I enjoyed the Jordan's grooves, thanks for the links :)
 
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