Hi,

Hoping to take Grade 1 Jazz exam - how exactly do you play
the "swing" requirement for the scales?

All help greatly appreciated.

Georgie

Hiya,

One way to think about performing your scales is to count 123, 123, 123. My tutor showed me this and it has worked for me.

Play your scale by holding down the first note and say "12" and then change to the next note of your scale and say "3".

C Major for example would be:

123 123 123 123
c d e f g a b c

remember you need to play this pattern up as wel as down the scale so don't stop when you get to C but continue to go back down the scale as you would do if you weren't playing your scale in swing time.

Hope this helps. I'm sure a music tutor would be able to explain it to you even if it's just over the telephone.

Georgie,
I'm doing the same work myself. If you get the ABRSM Jazz Tunes book (with CD) and the grades 1 to 5 jazz scales book, you'll find some examples and some notes. The Tunes book CD has a couple of scales palyed in swing and the scales book has a couple of pages that describes different ways to play swing.

Of course, listening to it and reading about it is easier than doing it

All the best,

Mike A.

Hi,

I remember whe I was being taught how to swing things i was told to say Humpty Dumpty over the notes. With the stress on the HUM and the DUM. So if you play four notes with the stress like this HUMpty DUMpty you will swing it. If you also thing of blues style jazz then that will give you some ideas.