The Cutting Edge of JAZZ SWING Theory

Support the Channel on Patreon: Follow me on Twitter: Follow me on Instagram: David Bruce Composer Spotify Playlist: My 2nd YouTube Channel: Please Support the Vital Work of this Amazing Rainforest Charity: Composer David Bruce looks at the latest understanding of jazz swing. The latest research from the International Audio Labs in Erlangen suggests some startling new discoveries about how real jazz musicians play swing. By analysing in microscopic details what players are doing, the research has made great strides in the understanding of swing. You may understand the basics of swing - that even notes are played with roughly a triplet long-short pattern, you may even know that there are a variety of ’swing ratios’, but did you know for example that in many recordings the soloist plays with a lower swing ratio to the drummer, interlocking with them only on the offbeat note of the swing. Anders friberg, a physicist at the royal institute of technology in stockholm, who’s also a pianist conducted a ground breaking study into swing in 2001. Friberg measured the swing ratio - the ratio of the long long note to the short note - of four classic jazz drummers, including Tony Williams who played with Miles Davis on the my funny valentine album, Jeff Watts, who played with Wynton Marsalis and Jack Dejohnette, part of Keith Jarrett’s trio. Friberg then used a frequency analysis program to pick out the sound of the ride cymbal of each drummer and analyse the precise rhythm played in microscopic details. He found the tempo of the piece directly affected the swing ratio. Reasearch: Friberg’s Study Dittberg’s Study Michael Stewart Article