Swing Names a Rhythm as Well as a Motion
To swing is to move back and forth from a fixed point. In music it names a rhythmic feel that resists notation.
To swing is to move back and forth while suspended from a fixed point. In jazz it names something notation struggles to capture: a swung pair of eighth notes is played long-short rather than evenly, but the exact ratio varies with tempo and player, so no written form is quite right. Musicians learn it by listening. A *swing voter* is one who may go either way, a *swing state* the same idea applied to a region, and *in full swing* means at peak activity.
- To move back and forth. *Swing on a rope.*
- A hanging seat. *A garden swing.*
- A jazz rhythm. *Swing rhythm.*
- A swing voter. *Swing voters.*
- Old English — *swingan*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | swing | Swing it. |
| Past | swung | Swung. |
| Noun | swing | A swing. |
| Adjective | swinging | Swinging. |
| Genre | swing | Swing music. |
- The children played on the swing.Object.
- The band played with real swing.Music.
- The party was in full swing.Idiom.
Swing in different fields
- Music — an uneven long-short rhythmic feel
- Politics — a shift in votes between parties
- Golf and cricket — the arc of the stroke, or a ball curving in flight
- Economics — a movement in prices or output
- In full swing — at maximum activity
Old English *swingan*, to beat or strike, of Germanic origin; the sense of oscillating developed later.
What is swing in music?
A rhythmic feel where paired notes are played long-short rather than evenly. The exact ratio varies, so it is learned by ear rather than from notation.
What is a swing state?
A region where the vote could go either way, so campaigns concentrate their effort there.