FINDING THE GROOVE: SWING FEEL A BODY IN MOTION
In this lesson, students will explore the rhythmic concept called groove. Groove is that invisible force inherent in good music that makes you want to move your body. Giving your students a solid understanding of groove will help them listen to and understand music on a deeper level.
Most types of music are unified by a rhythmic pulse (steady beat). A strong pulse allows a group of many musicians (or one musician) to play together as a single unit with the same time feel and rhythmic concept. If musicians do not play together, music would sound like chaos (you probably would not want to listen to it either). In the same vein, music that emits a strong rhythmic pulse gives the listener something to gravitate towards. If you as the listener cannot find a strong rhythmic pulse, your body won’t want to move to the music. Even if it is not a type of music you normally listen to, if the groove is there, your body will want to move.
The pulse, in and of itself, does not create groove. Meaning, that if you clap a rhythmic pulse and ask someone to name what type of music is associated with that pulse, the answer should be, “It depends on what the groove is.” A groove is created by the interaction of rhythms, which means that another rhythm has to be present to interact with that pulse in order to create a groove. Therefore it is how we subdivide the beat against that pulse, which determines the groove and therefore, the type of music.
Subdivision means exactly what it sounds like: dividing each beat into equal parts. Although technically the beat can be divided in any infinite number of ways, the two most common subdivisions in music are duple (dividing the beat into 2 or a multiple of 2) and triple (dividing the beat into 3 or a multiple of 3). Styles of music such as rock, bossa nova, hip hop and funk generally have a duple subdivision where swing, as well as some types of African and Latin music, has a triple subdivision.
On the student handout, a simple math equation is given to articulate how a groove is created:
Jazz is deeply rooted in the traditions of swing, and because the rhythmic foundation of swing is the triplet, the subdivision associated most with jazz is triple. Since most of the music that students hear (via radio and television) is duple-based, the best way to demonstrate the rhythmic concept of jazz and how it differs from most pop music is through verbal association and body movement. Below are two phrases that will help articulate the differences.
Example 1: Duple Subdivision
Example 2: Triple Subdivision
Establish a rhythmic pulse (quarter note = 90 works well) with your heel and say each of these phrases. You should notice a few things. First, notice the emphasis in the triple subdivision is on the last part of the triplet, which gives the swing feel an upward and forward motion. Second, notice how this contrasts with the duple subdivision where the emphasis is the downbeat, giving a heavier and downward motion.
Let’s reinforce this idea even further by adding some more body movement. Place your hands on your lap with your palms facing down. Designate one had to be the accent hand. Try patting each of the rhythms on your lap, keeping the pulse in your heel. The accent hand will pat the accented part of the pattern while the other hand pats the rest of the pattern. Naturally, the accent hand will be stronger than the other hand. As an example, if your left hand is the strong or accent hand, the triple subdivision (La-doo-dle) would go like this:
Left-Right-Right, Left-Right-Right
Or, you could think of it as “strong-weak-weak, strong-weak-weak.” Keep in mind that the pulse will actually be hitting on the “doo”, or the first weak part of the phrase.
Now, do the same thing with the duple subdivision. Notice how your heel now has a downward motion on the accented part of the beat. This time, you will be patting “strong-weak-weak-weak” or, using the left hand as the accent hand:
Left-Right-Right-Right, Left-Right-Right-Right
Finally, establish a pulse and say the triple subdivision and movements for eight beats and then switch to the duple subdivision. As you do this, focus on the accented parts of each subdivision and how different they feel. This may seem like a lot to go through, but the key to understanding any groove is to be able to internalize it.
Below are two melodies of jazz standards. Example 3 shows a duple subdivision (latin) and example 4 shows a triple subdivision (swing). You can use these melodies to articulate the feel of the different grooves associated with each melody. As you vocalize the melodies, keep in mind the underlying rhythmic foundation that makes each melody unique. Notice the downward motion of the latin melody as opposed to the upward motion of the swing melody.
Example 3: “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins
Example 4: “Fly Me to the Moon” as performed by Count Basie
