Music question, help please?

Question

what is a shuffle groove, and what are the origins of this jazz feel?

thank you kindly! :)

Answer 1

I have to differ with Ron on this one. A shuffle is a "swung" beat. It is written in 4/4, and the written music will still divide each beat into two 8th notes. But the way they are played is each beat is treated as an eighth note TRIPLET with the first note taking two of the triplet eighths and the second note the last of the triplet eights. Think of it as eighth note triplets with the first two tied.



I have seen shuffles actually written out as being in 12/8 time because of the 3 to the beat feel. But real musicians just know how to swing the beat by feel, and don't have to write it out verbatim.



There must be no doubt, all swing or shuffle beats evolved from Blues. Jazz also took harmonic influences from Europe. That feel is totally from the blues and probably dates to the field hollers from the days of slavery in America.



To Ron, a dotted eighth followed by a 16th would still be dividing the beat into 4 and is what we call "even eighths". Definitely NOT swung. It MUST have a triplet feel to be a shuffle.

Answer 2

Tidbit, your definition of shuffle is equivalent to the other poster's definition of swing, and NEITHER of them are a true shuffle. Yes, a shuffle is swung (as opposed to straight time,) but it's NOT swing - the feel is best characterized by Chicago blues.

Answer 3

A shuffle has dotted eighth/ sixteenth on every beat.



Origins are more complicated.