Hi,

Just looking at Grade 1 Jazz scales.
What is the "swing" requirement - how do you play this?

All help appreciated.

Well, if it aint got that swing....

If you don't feel it in your body, here's one way of explaining it.

Divide every beat (mentally) into three triplet quavers (eighth notes).

A pair of "swing quavers" is like this: the first equals the first two triplet quavers (tied together) and the second swing quaver equals the third triplet quaver.

Yikes that sounded complicated but it really isn't. You've got to just think of the beats as divided into threes. Admittedly easier with the slower pieces.

A common mistake in jazz (for the classically trained) is to treat swing quavers as if they are a dotted quaver followed by a semi-quaver. Swing quavers, played in the way I explained above, sound subtly more laid back and lazy than that.

Another common mistake in jazz (for the classically trained) is to rush and sound over-eager, which could well stem from the classically trained musician's common fear of making a mistake. But as Jamey Aebersold said: "in jazz there are no mistakes, only ######r choices.."

Personally I find playing jazz to be very much a mood thing, even a "right-hand brain" thing; when my thoughts slow down and I lose myself in the music, the jazz comes naturally.

The best thing is to listen to lots and lots of jazz and emerse yourself in the music. I don't believe you can play jazz convincingly unless you love it or at least like it. Listen to "A Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis, listen to Louis Armstrong and focus on his phrasing. Listen to all the greats and absorb their styles. Play along with recordings and get Jamey Abersold's books and Backing CD's.

Good luck!

PS for some reason the Jamey Abersold quote has come out with x's in the second to last word - I have no idea why - must be a glitch in the software. The word is "p o o r".

Thanks Violinia,

Rushing away to try these now!

How did you get on?

not too bad - i'm sticking with it