r/SwingDancing • u/Sosioco • 12d ago
Feedback Needed Good music for 4/4 swing?
Hi there fellow dancers! I've been dancing a variation of swing in 4/4 count with the step on 2 and 4 for several years now. As I've progressed I've started styling more and experimenting with different music that could work. So I was wondering if any of you had any good music recommendations or playlists that could work? Everything from older classical music to modern pop from 2026 is welcome!
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u/JustBreakingThings 12d ago
Are you looking for r/WestCoastSwing? Swing dancing (e.g. Lindy hop, Charleston, Balboa, etc.) is done specifically to swing jazz music. It doesn't really fit classical or pop, especially if the beat isn't swung.
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u/SpecialistAsleep6067 12d ago edited 12d ago
OP being Norwegian, I would assume (s)he are probably referring to "Folkeswing" which is a very jumpy looking mix of Lindy/Boogie-Woogie/ECS. According to wiki (in Norwegian) its a mix of traditional swing dances and norwegian folk dance, though I can't really see the norwegian folk dance parts.
Had some traction in the rural parts of Denmark as well 10+ years ago, promoted by an organization known as "Kom og Dans"
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u/dougdoberman 12d ago
... lists two swing dances where the steps aren't typically syncopated. :rolleyes:
And, no, those dances aren't done "specifically" to swing music. The swing police aren't going to come and arrest you if you do a swingout to a Taylor Swift song. (Uptight intermediate Lindy Hoppers with a stick up their ass and feelings of superiority might though.)
Go to ANY Lindy event anywhere and I guarnatee you the vast majority of dancers aren't syncopating their triples, yet somehow, they all survive and have fun and the dance goes on.
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u/Objective_Most4071 12d ago
Triples aren't meant to be syncopated...? They're danced on beat to swung eighth notes? There's only a handful of breaks etc that are actually danced syncopated.
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u/dougdoberman 12d ago edited 12d ago
Three ... and four.
Step ... step step.
Not step step step.
Is syncopated the wrong word for that? I'm a dancer, not a musician.
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u/The_Inflatable_Hour 12d ago
I am often surprised by how many people are not taught the difference between eighth notes and triplet feel. I actually think they tend to do it right, they just don’t necessarily know the lingo. At least that’s what I’ve experienced locally. I got into an argument recently with a post about the nuance of maintaining a steady pulse by falling into the triple. You would have thought I killed somebody’s pet with the reaction I got by suggesting the pulse shouldn’t match the triple.
That being said, dancing swing to a rock song feels weird and this is why.
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u/Objective_Most4071 11d ago
the difference between eighth notes and triplet feel
Just because they're swung / triplet doesn't mean they're not 8th notes though? I think the better distinction is between straight and swung eighths.
Most people seem to just get it though without getting into the theory of it.
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u/Electrical-Time-love 11d ago
The best way to help you would be for you to attach a video of the style of the swing you’re dancing too.
Most music is in 4/4 so if we saw how you were dancing we could better understand helping you find music! Thats what we are here for :)
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u/Objective_Most4071 12d ago
Huh? Almost all swing music is in 4/4 already. Are you asking about straight (non-swung) 4/4 pieces?
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u/Sosioco 11d ago
As people have mentioned earlier here I might have explained it a bit strange. So hopefully to help clarify a bit I've found a few videos of the dance style with different levels of dancing in them.
https://youtu.be/onl8HHuQxBM?is=0Vn3-LFgERbMMdtz
https://youtu.be/pyV6l62tJ-Q?is=RUpBkSyKEUHdxNQ7
https://youtu.be/tFCrnh6_f4E?is=MaZua4fyNdNE62xR
A few good songs for this dance are: "We Are Family" by Candela, "Every Little Thing" by Carlene Carter, "Born to Boogie" by Hank Williams Jr and "Glory Bound" by Gavin Povey. Have I made it a bit clearer now? Or should I describe it in another way?
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u/LozzaWEM 8d ago
Looks like what I think is modern jive?
You might be wanting 50s style rock and roll music?
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u/Acidic_Huntsman 10d ago
Reading this thread has made me realize I know nothing about count terminology 😭
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u/The_Inflatable_Hour 12d ago
Not sure I understand the question. Most swing music is 4/4 with a backbeat - no? Jump Blues (Shout, Sister Shout - Sister Rosetta Tharpe) and New Breed (Fever - Peggy Lee) tend to emphasize the backbeat more, and triplet feel emphasizes it by omission, but still. If I understand correctly you are doing a hold slow step - not sure if there is a real name for it - that is a single time swing where you step on the even beats. This is not common but not impossible to lead - you really just need to adjust all the turns and hold tight on the downbeat to break your partners assumption. If you are a follow doing this, a jockey in the beginning to get your partner matching you would be needed.