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Topic: Swing rhythm (Read 5486 times) previous topic - next topic

Swing rhythm

Is there a quick way to change the playback to swing style?

I’ve just spent a long time making a hidden staff with triplets and will mute the visible staff.

Thanks

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #1 –
Musically, I do not accept that triplets are always correct: There is hard shuffle, soft shuffle etc. - therefore, I never write shuffle (or "swing") as triplets, but instead brutally use tempo changes.

I have a "shuffle cheat sheet" (see attachment), from which I copy a small segment into the tempo staff, and then repeat this endlessly (see second attachment): I just create a single measure from the segment, and then paste it with the key-repeat of ctrl-V a million times ..

This is good enough for me - even changing the tempo of a section is not too much work - either
- throw away the whole tempo staff and write it new;
- or paste it into an editor, do (if e.g. tempo is to be increased by 10%) "replace all 100 with 110", "replace all 135 with 148" and paste it back.

H.M.

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #2 –
So I guess the answer is that there is no easy way.
Would it be possible to develop a user tool? Other notation software has a setting for swing.

Thank you for sharing your cheat sheet!

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #3 –
Yes and yes: Other notaton softwares have this, and it is, in my eyes (ears?) only of mediocre usefulness, because it creates a uniform rhythm ... but if course, also my piece wouldn't need anything more.

And when you asked the question, I thought "why not write a little tool?" ... however, it wouldn't be high on my priority list, because the cheat sheet approach has worked nicely for me for quite some number of pieces ... Maybe someone else has something like that already done?

H.M.

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #4 –
I use a similar approach to the "Cheat Sheet", except I've set up a couple of templates I normally use that include a conductor staff with something like this in it:
Code: [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.751,Single)
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Bar|Style:LocalRepeatOpen
|Tempo|Base:Eighth Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:-8
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:7
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Tempo|Base:Eighth Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:-8
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:7
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Tempo|Base:Eighth Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:-8
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:7
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Tempo|Base:Eighth Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:-8
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Tempo|Base:Quarter Dotted|Tempo:120|Pos:7
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Bar|Style:LocalRepeatClose|Repeat:64
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End
This snippet will give 64 bars of 2:1 swing (equivalent to crotchet-quaver, or quarter/eighth if you prefer, triplets) at 120 bpm.

Easy to adjust the mm - I usually end up just editing the 1st two then copy/paste them as a block over the 3 other pairs in the bar.

As HM says, the 2:1 ratio isn't exactly a true swing, but close enough for me for basic auditioning purposes.  I DON'T create files for playback as a general rule, but to create scores, and the playback let's me check what I'm doing, so a super accurate swing rendition is not so important to me.
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #5 –
Wow, those tempo tracks are a much much easier way to accomplish what I was trying to do (which entails rewriting everything!)

Thanks for sharing these options.

So, do you always use a tempo track in all your scores? I usually just paste it onto the staff somewhere. Obviously, something as complex as what you have shared would clutter the page.


Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #6 –
Quote
So, do you always use a tempo track in all your scores?

Actually, I do. It saves so many headaches. If you put them on top, they can also double as a system-break staff; and for collecting other general information - very helpful and organized e.g. if you need to extract voices. One day I'll explain how to work with it (and write a few small tools that should help even more).
But it took me some 10 years until I decided just to press Ctrl-A, call it "Tempo" and set the number of lines to 1 in every score ...

H.M.

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #7 –
Quote from: hmmueller –
If you put them on top, they can also double as a system-break staff; and for collecting other general information - very helpful and organized e.g. if you need to extract voices. One day I'll explain how to work with it (and write a few small tools that should help even more).
If you use NWC to print parts, the Tempo track is indespensible.  Things that all parts need to see like rehearsal symbols and tempo are all on a staff that is layered into the part you are currently printing.
Since 1998

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #8 –
I'm more or less with Laurie on this; I don't care that much about playback being perfect.  However I support the idea of the cheat sheet, but wonder why we might need a whole staff rather than just a single bar with a local repeat set to X number of iterations.  It can be hidden and doesn't have to clutter up the edit screen.
 

Re: Swing rhythm

Reply #9 –
Quote from: David Palmquist –
I'm more or less with Laurie on this; I don't care that much about playback being perfect.  However I support the idea of the cheat sheet, but wonder why we might need a whole staff rather than just a single bar with a local repeat set to X number of iterations.  It can be hidden and doesn't have to clutter up the edit screen.
Sure, why not?

I am coming from a very special niche of music writing, namely arranging for crank organs, and sometimes band organs: The MIDIs I produce(d) from my arrangements are punched as paper strips; and for this, the tempo and its variations have to be precisely what I intend - especially if the organ is motor-driven -, because I'm practically the "conductor" of the piece. That's why I had a tempo track almost from the beginning - not so much for swing and other "visible" tempo effects, but mostly for tiny variations like short delays before a final chord (much shorter than the coarse 1/16th breath mark of NWC), "hand-crafted" ritartandos and accelerandos etc. For two more extreme examples, see (and listen to) the last section "Tempo" of my "Short course of arranging for small organs".

With my choir and other compositions and arrangements, I didn't write a tempo staff for some time - but then came back, and just did it the same way I always had. The example in my posting above is actually untypical in its uniformness, as this composition is not really completed - I have not yet persuaded our choir director to sing it; so it might get more fine-tuned tempo variations for demo purposes.

But that's just me - and yes, of course the track is hidden during almost all of editing.

H.M.