If you want to jam, you need to know the difference between “straight” and “swing” feel.
Let’s say you’re at the piano and the singer calls out a tune and says, “Let’s swing it.” Would you know what to do?
Learning the difference between straight and swing can be confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature.
So, what IS the difference between swing feel and straight feel? Is one better than the other? The answer is NO. Just different.
Where the difference lies between these two styles is how we treat the “upstrokes.” (The main beats 1-2-3-4 are the “down strokes,” as in guitar, and the “AND” that comes between the main beats are the “upstrokes.”)
In straight feel, we have two subdivisions per beat: One- &- Two- &- Three- &- Four- &-. The upstrokes occur exactly in between the down strokes. If you set a metronome to play 8th notes, then both the down strokes and the upstrokes will hit right with the clicks.
In swing feel, we divide the beats into triplets: One- E- &- Two- E- &-, etc. We play the down strokes on the main beats 1-2-3-4-, just like in straight feel. However, the upstrokes are played on the third triplet of each beat. This gives a certain swing because the down strokes take up 2/3 of the beat and the upstrokes take the last 1/3 of each beat. (Check out the video. It’s easier to understand when you see it demonstrated.)
Charts can look exactly alike, but are played differently, depending on whether you are playing it swung or straight. The exception is when you see a chart that is in either 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8. In these cases, you would play the song exactly as written, because the chartist has already divided each beat into three subdivisions (in 6/8, 9/8, or 12/8, a dotted quarter, or three eighths notes comprise one beat).
Songs that are “swung”:
Kansas City: Fats Domino
Boogie Woogie Bugler Boy: Andrews Sisters
Fly Me to the Moon: Frank Sinatra
Songs that are “straight”
I Saw Her Standing There: The Beatles
Every Breath You Take: The Police
Peter Gunn: Henry Mancini
