Straight or swing: what changes in your timing references?

Two grooves can share a tempo and still feel different. With straight eighth notes, the two halves of a beat are equal. With swing, a longer gap alternates with a shorter one, while the pulse underneath can stay the same.

Listen to the subdivisions first

In the free metronome, keep the same tempo and an eighth-note figure, with the subdivision sounds turned on. Compare Straight with a swing setting. If you only listen to the beats, you may miss the difference.

The video keeps the tempo and changes the spacing of the eighth notes. Try singing or tapping these subdivisions first, then go back to a simple groove. A percentage describes an app setting; the feel of a style cannot be boiled down to that number.

A groove can carry its own swing

On the Exercise screen, a groove with a set swing keeps it: the session control displays it and stays locked. With a groove that leaves swing open, you can choose your own feel before playing, on eighth or sixteenth notes.

The click, playback and the judging grid all follow the swing that applies to the groove. Not every beat necessarily changes: a beat written in triplets keeps its own reference points. When you set a swing in the Workshop, it warns you about the relevant limitations.

Compare attempts played with the same feel

A stroke that is late against a straight grid does not mean you are swinging. Decide which feel you intend, then look at your placement against it.

Changing the swing moves the expected timing points. When reviewing timing results, keep the same groove, tempo and feel. Work on tempo steps separately.

You can listen to these differences in the metronome for free, without an account. Playing the full groove with MIDI analysis and history is part of the subscription.