Swing 8s and On/Off Chords
Lesson time: (2min 9sec)
Learn an On-Off chordal rhythm in the left and right hands on the piano, and how to play a walking bass left hand.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Beginning Jazz Piano: Triads & Pentatonics
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Understanding Straight Eights vs. Swing Eights
So, if you've had a go at sing and play, you'll notice that the backing track was in a straight eights feel.
The Difference Between Straight Eights and Swing Eights
Perhaps we should talk about the difference between straight eights and swing eights. It's good to practice things both ways. I was demonstrating in swing just now; the same idea in straight sounds quite different. So, it's important to be consistent with that.
Incorporating Off-Beat Chords
Also, I think it would be great if we stopped playing all the chords on the beat all the time and started playing some off-beat chords in the left hand. This is going to be much more jazzy!
Steps to Practice Off-Beat Chords:
- Start by playing these in the right hand, perhaps with a bass line.
- Play the first chord on the beat and the second chord on the two and/or in between the second and third beats.
Notice also that:
- The first chord is short.
- The second chord is often longer (I've tied it, in fact).
Straight Eights Feel
Now, in a straight eights feel, those notes will be exactly halfway through the beat, the off-beat chords.
Swing Feel Explanation
In a swing feel, they'll be a bit later than that because the swing feel is basically a triplet feel. If you play a scale in swing, it'll be like this:
1 and 2 and 3 and 4.
So, the off-beat chord needs to coincide with that.
Practical Application
If you do this in the left hand, it might be a bit clearer. I'm going to play a five-note loop in the right hand and play the off chord with the F in the right hand.
It's important that you should be able to do that without upsetting the right hand.
Final Thoughts
So, you might want to go back to sing and play and try putting some off-beat chords in the left hand whenever you feel like it, rather than just playing everything on the beat.
About the instructor
Critically acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Tim Richards is one of Britain’s most experienced jazz educators, teaching piano privately for over 30 years, as well as at Morley College, Goldsmiths College, the University of Surrey, Premises Studios and other venues in the UK and abroad. He has produced numerous titles for Schott Music, including the best-selling two-volume Exploring Jazz Piano, Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection and the acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano. He is also co-author, with John Crawford, of Exploring Latin Piano and Brazilian Piano Collection.More recently Schott have published Jazz, Latin & Modern Collection (15 pieces for solo piano), comprising Tim Richards originals alongside pieces by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the two volume set Beginning Jazz Piano (now a two-part MusicGurus course).“The real joy of Tim’s music… is that it is both hugely educational but also such great fun to play. Anyone with the slightest interest in learning to play or teach jazz piano should really acquire a set of Tim’s books.” PianoDaoAs a performer Tim has been a presence on the UK jazz scene since the 1980s, also playing the blues with UK and US legends such as Otis Grand, Earl Green, Dana Gillespie, Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and Mojo Buford. He has released over a dozen albums as a leader (featuring many of London’s best jazz musicians including Pete King, Gilad Atzmon, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Seb Rochford, Ed Jones, Dick Pearce and many others), and toured all over Europe with line-ups ranging from duo to nine-piece. His latest recording, the album ‘Telegraph Hill’ by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as "A true joy from beginning to end". More info can be found on his website www.timrichards.ndo.co.uk read more