This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he explains how to make your notation actually swing in MuseScore, the free notation software.
Contents
How to Create a Swing Rhythm in MuseScore
Let’s say you write out a phrase for jazz practice like this:
If it’s not swung, it ends up sounding a little flat and lifeless, like this:
Swing it, though, and it becomes a lot more usable:
How to Turn On Swing Mode
1. In MuseScore’s palette panel, find and click on “Swing.”
2. Drag the Swing marking onto the very first note of the passage you want to swing.
That’s it.
If you don’t like how the label looks once it’s placed, you can double-click the text and change it to whatever you’d like.
One thing to watch out for: if you delete the text completely, the passage will stop swinging altogether — so leave at least some label there, even if you customize the wording.
A Quick Lesson on Swing Rhythm
One of the things that makes a line actually sound like jazz is the swing rhythm. Listen to the difference between these two:
①
②
Version ② has a lot more bounce and forward motion to it, right? You can especially hear the difference in how the drummer’s ride cymbal swings.
Both versions are playing the exact same quarter notes shown below — the difference comes entirely from feel:
If you keep the classic “ding, ding-a-ding, ding-a-ding” cymbal pattern in your head while you play, it gets a lot easier to bring out that swing feel in your own lines.
MuseScore is a free, full-featured notation program, and it’s quite easy to pick up — well worth trying out if you write charts or practice material.
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
Notation can tell you where the swing marking goes, but actually nailing that bounce and forward motion in your own playing is something that’s much easier to dial in with outside ears listening.
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.