TrueFire - Marcy Marxer's Swingin' Rhythm Handbook

There are countless technical definitions and subjective interpretations for swing. Formal music teachers will explain how pairs of written eighth notes are not played equally and will likely also suggest playing slightly behind the beat. Bill Treadwill's Big Book of Swing admits, "You can feel it, but you just can't explain it. Do you dig me?" Our favorite comes from the Jazz in America glossary, which defines swing as "when an individual player or ensemble performs in such a rhythmically coordinated way as to command a visceral response from the listener to cause feet to tap and heads to nod."