Introduction to Swing Quavers

In this lesson, I'm going to do a quick introduction to swing quavers, which will really help get an authentic rhythmic feel in your playing.

Understanding the Blues Scale

Having met the blues scale and got a good palette of six notes, we just need to establish a solid rhythmic feel as well.

Setting the Pulse

If I set up a pulse, we're used to quavers being even pairs of notes, dividing halfway between the beats to achieve nice, even balance quavers.

Finding Swing Quavers

To find swing quavers, I need to identify a triplet in here.

Using a Three-Syllable Word

I'm holding a saxophone, so I'm going to use that three-syllable word:

• Saxophone
• Saxophone
• Saxophone

To find a triplet rhythm, I'm going to miss out the middle syllable. So, I just want the "sax" and the "phone" sounds.

The Rhythm

Here's how it goes:

• Sax, phone
• Sax, phone
• Sax, phone
• Sax, phone
• Sax

And that is the basis of swing playing.

Demonstration

I'm just going to play a blues scale and just two notes on each to demonstrate a swing feel:

3, 4...

Whenever you see the word swing at the top of a tune, that's what it means. It's saying to play your quavers with that triplet-y feel in the background, underlying your playing.

By combining good note choices from your blues scale with this rhythmic feel, you'll enhance your musical expression significantly.