Hear it straight平均地聽
Each beat is split into two equal halves. The orange notes sit exactly on the dashed lines.
每一拍切成兩個一樣長的一半。橘色的音剛好落在虛線上。
Music · Unit 4 · Lesson 14 · 音樂 單元四 第十四課
What Makes Jazz Sound Like Jazz?爵士樂為什麼聽起來像爵士？
Slide one number and watch every off-beat note move later. Hear the same tune straight and swung, and play along with a small band.
拖動一個數字，看每個反拍的音往後移。聽同一段旋律平均和搖擺的差別，再跟一個小樂隊即興。
Big idea · 一句話看懂
Swing comes from dividing each beat unevenly: the first eighth note is longer and the second is shorter. The beat itself stays steady.
搖擺來自不平均地切每一拍：前面的八分音符變長、後面的變短。拍子本身還是穩定的。
Try It · 動手試試
Slide the Swing 拖動搖擺
We wrote one short tune of four bars, with a simple bass line and a hi-hat. Press play, then drag the swing ratio. The orange notes are the off-beat eighth notes: they are the only ones that move. The tempo and the pitches never change. This is our own simple model, not a recording of any jazz band.
我們寫了一段四小節的短旋律，加上簡單的低音和 hi-hat（踩鈸）。按播放，再拖動搖擺比例。橘色的是反拍的八分音符：只有它們會移動。速度和音高都不會變。這是我們自己的簡單模型，不是任何爵士樂團的錄音。
Presets · 預設
Reading · 英文閱讀
14
Unit 14: What Makes Jazz Sound Like Jazz?
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But jazz did not begin as a single musical tradition in New Orleans or elsewhere. It is difficult to define, because it includes a wide range of music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation.
爵士樂是十九世紀末到二十世紀初，在美國路易斯安那州紐奧良的非裔美國人社群中形成的音樂類型。但爵士樂並不是從紐奧良或別處的某一個傳統開始的。它很難定義，因為它包含很廣的音樂。爵士樂的特色是搖擺與藍調音、複雜的和弦、呼應（call and response）、多重節奏，以及即興。
In swing rhythm the pulse is divided unequally. The first note of each pair of eighth notes is lengthened, and the second is shortened. The first note is often understood to be twice as long as the second, a triplet feel, a ratio of 2:1. But in practice the ratio is often much more subtle. In jazz, the swing ratio typically lies somewhere between 1:1 and 3:1, and can vary considerably. It tends to be wider at slower tempos and narrower at faster ones.
在搖擺的節奏裡，脈動被不平均地切開。每一對八分音符的前一個被拉長，後一個被縮短。人們常把前一個理解成後一個的兩倍長，也就是三連音的感覺，比例 2:1。但實際上，比例常常細微得多。在爵士樂裡，搖擺比例通常落在 1:1 到 3:1 之間，變化很大。速度慢時比例傾向變大，速度快時傾向變小。
A typical jazz group has a rhythm section, which provides the underlying rhythm, harmony, and pulse. The standard rhythm section is piano, bass, and drums. A soloist, or a horn section of woodwinds and brass, plays the melody on top. The bass often plays a walking bass line: unsyncopated notes of equal value, usually quarter notes, like the regular steps of someone walking.
一個典型的爵士樂團有節奏組，提供底下的節奏、和聲與脈動。標準的節奏組是鋼琴、貝斯和鼓。獨奏者，或是由木管與銅管組成的管樂組，在上面演奏旋律。貝斯常常彈行走低音（walking bass）：沒有切分、音值相等的音，通常是四分音符，像一個人規律的腳步。
Improvisation is one of jazz’s defining elements. Jazz improvisation is the spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts in a performance. It is usually done over a chord progression, so it is not random. For example, the twelve-bar blues is based on the I, IV, and V chords of a key. And not all jazz is improvised: swing-era big bands relied more on arrangements that were written or memorized, and the soloists improvised within them.
即興是爵士樂的決定性元素之一。爵士即興是在演出中，當場創造旋律的獨奏線條或伴奏聲部。它通常在和弦進行上進行，所以不是亂彈。例如十二小節藍調，是建立在一個調的 I、IV、V 和弦上。而且不是所有爵士樂都是即興的：搖擺時代的大樂團比較倚賴寫好或背熟的編曲，獨奏者在編曲裡即興。
Two more ingredients are blue notes and call and response. A blue note is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard, typically between a quartertone and a semitone. Call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases that works like a conversation in music: one musician offers a phrase, and a second answers. Syncopation places rhythmic stresses where they would not normally occur.
另外兩個要素是藍調音與呼應。藍調音是用和標準音高稍微不同的音高唱或奏出，通常相差四分之一音到一個半音之間。呼應是兩個不同樂句相連，像音樂裡的對話：一位樂手提出一個樂句，另一位回答。切分音是把節奏的重音放在平常不會出現的地方。
The tune and the band on this page are our own simple model, built to show one idea. Real players vary a great deal, and not all jazz swings: free jazz explored playing without regular meter or beat. Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) and Duke Ellington (1899–1974) are two of its famous figures. Ellington once said of the music, “It’s all music.”
這一頁的旋律和樂隊是我們自己的簡單模型，用來展示一個想法。真正的樂手變化很大，也不是所有爵士樂都搖擺：自由爵士探索沒有規則拍子與節拍的演奏。路易斯・阿姆斯壯（1901–1971）和艾靈頓公爵（1899–1974）是它著名的人物。艾靈頓曾說到這種音樂：「這全是音樂。」
Read aloud · 課文朗讀
Questions · 閱讀理解
What does “swing” do to a pair of eighth notes?
It lengthens the first note and shortens the second. The beat itself stays steady.
Is jazz improvisation random?
No. It is usually done over a chord progression, so it follows the harmony.
Does every jazz piece swing?
No. Free jazz explored playing without regular meter or beat.
Words & Phrases · 生字及片語
jazz(n.)爵士樂Jazz grew out of African-American communities.爵士樂從非裔美國人的社群中發展出來。swing(n.)搖擺The drummer has a great swing.這位鼓手的搖擺感很棒。improvise(v.)即興演奏She likes to improvise over the chords.她喜歡在和弦上即興。syncopation(n.)切分音Syncopation puts stress where you do not expect it.切分音把重音放在你想不到的地方。rhythm section(n.)節奏組Piano, bass, and drums make a rhythm section.鋼琴、貝斯和鼓組成節奏組。blue note(n.)藍調音A blue note bends the pitch a little.藍調音讓音高稍微彎一點。walking bass(n.)行走低音A walking bass plays steady quarter notes.行走低音彈穩定的四分音符。call and response(n.)呼應（一問一答）Call and response sounds like a conversation.呼應聽起來像對話。
Quick Check · 小測驗
1. In swing rhythm, what happens to a pair of eighth notes?
2. Which three instruments make the standard rhythm section?
3. What is true about jazz improvisation?
4. What does the swing ratio typically look like in jazz?
5. When we make the swing wider in the model, what does not change?
Try It · 動手試試
Four things to try 四件值得試的事
Then try the two games below: tell straight from swung, and play along with the band.
然後試試下面兩個遊戲：分辨平均與搖擺，再跟樂隊一起即興。
A gentle swing輕輕的搖擺
A small step toward swing. In real playing the ratio is often much more subtle than a triplet.
往搖擺走一小步。實際演奏時，比例常常比三連音細微得多。
The triplet feel三連音的感覺
The first eighth note is twice as long as the second. This is how swing is often understood.
前面的八分音符是後面的兩倍長。這是人們常用來理解搖擺的方式。
A wide swing很大的搖擺
The upper end of the range that the sources give. The off-beat notes come very late.
來源給的範圍的上緣。反拍的音來得很晚。
Game · 小遊戲
Straight or Swung? 平均還是搖擺？
Six questions. Each one plays our tune at one tempo. Choose whether the eighth notes are straight or swung. If you cannot hear the sound, press “What is in the music”.
六道題。每一題用一個速度播放我們的旋律。選出八分音符是平均的，還是搖擺的。如果聽不到聲音，按「音樂裡有什麼」。
Question 1 of 6 · 第 1 題（共 6 題）
Right on the first try · 第一次就答對 0 / 0
Play Along · 一起即興
Play with the Band 跟樂隊一起即興
The band plays only bass and hi-hat. Tap notes from a five-note scale (lesson 7). Your notes are placed on the grid of eighth notes, straight or swung. Then play your phrase back.
樂隊只有低音和 hi-hat。點五聲音階（第七課）的音。你的音會被貼到八分音符的格子上，平均的或搖擺的。再播放你的樂句。
Grid · 格子
Notes · 音
Stories Behind the Notes · 音符背後的故事
Not one place, two meanings, an era, and a festival 不是一個地方、兩個意思、一個時代，和一個音樂節
Four short stories about jazz and swing.
關於爵士樂與搖擺的四個小故事。
Origins · 起源
Not one place, not one day不是一個地方、一個日子
Jazz is said to have originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But the Jazz article also says it did not begin as a single musical tradition in New Orleans or elsewhere. A single birthday for jazz is a convenient story, not a fact.
一般說爵士樂是十九世紀末到二十世紀初，從紐奧良的非裔美國人社群發展出來的。但同一篇條目也說，它並不是從紐奧良或別處的某一個傳統開始的。給爵士樂一個生日，是方便的故事，不是事實。
A Word · 一個詞
“Swing” twice兩個「搖擺」
The word swing has two main uses in music. One is the technique we heard: lengthening and shortening the notes in each pair. The other is a style of jazz, “swing music”, that developed in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s and was dominant from 1935 to 1946. Taiwan’s dictionary describes 搖擺樂 as emphasizing the weak beats of the bar.
「swing」在音樂裡有兩個主要用法。一個是我們聽到的技巧：把每一對音的前一個拉長、後一個縮短。另一個是一種爵士樂的風格「搖擺樂」，在 1920 年代末到 1930 年代初的美國形成，1935 到 1946 年最盛行。台灣的辭典描述搖擺樂強調小節裡的下半拍或弱拍。
The Band · 樂隊
Who plays what誰彈什麼
The rhythm section, piano, bass, and drums, provides the underlying rhythm, harmony, and pulse. The core elements are usually the drum kit and bass. In a swing band, the classic rhythm section was a quartet of electric guitar, piano, double bass, and drums. As bebop evolved, smaller groups dropped the guitar.
節奏組，鋼琴、貝斯和鼓，提供底下的節奏、和聲與脈動。核心通常是鼓組和貝斯。搖擺樂團的經典節奏組是電吉他、鋼琴、低音提琴和鼓的四重奏。隨著咆勃（bebop）發展，較小的團體把吉他拿掉了。
Taiwan · 台灣
A festival in Taichung台中的一個音樂節
The Taichung Jazz Festival is an annual jazz music festival held in the West District of Taichung. According to Wikipedia, it started in 2003 and is held in October. We could not find a source for other facts about jazz in Taiwan, so we leave them out.
台中爵士音樂節是每年在台中西區舉行的爵士音樂節。依 Wikipedia，它從 2003 年開始，在十月舉行。關於台灣爵士樂的其他事，我們查不到可靠的出處，所以不寫。
In the Curriculum · 對應課綱
Where this lesson fits 這一課對應的課綱
The curriculum names rhythm, simple improvisation, and many styles of music. The words jazz and swing do not appear in it.
課綱寫到節奏、簡易即興與多元風格的樂曲。「爵士」「搖擺」這些詞，課綱裡沒有出現。
音 E-Ⅱ-4藝術領域・音樂（國小三、四年級） · Arts, music (grades 3–4)
音樂元素，如：節奏、力度、速度等。
Swing is a way of shaping rhythm.搖擺是塑造節奏的一種方式。
音 E-Ⅱ-5藝術領域・音樂（國小三、四年級） · Arts, music (grades 3–4)
簡易即興，如：肢體即興、節奏即興、曲調即興等。
Tapping notes along with the band is a very simple kind of improvisation.跟著樂隊點音，是很簡單的一種即興。
音 A-Ⅲ-1藝術領域・音樂（國小五、六年級） · Arts, music (grades 5–6)
器樂曲與聲樂曲，如：各國民謠、本土與傳統音樂、古典與流行音樂等，以及樂曲之作曲家、演奏者、傳統藝師與創作背景。
Pieces, players, and the background of a piece.樂曲、演奏者與創作背景。
音 1-V-2藝術領域・音樂（高中） · Arts, music (senior high)
能即興、改編或創作樂曲，並表達與溝通創作意念。
In senior high school, improvising is a learning goal.到了高中，即興是一項學習表現。
Myth vs. Fact · 常見迷思
Four things people get wrong 四個常見的誤會
✗ Myth · 迷思Jazz was born in one place on one date.爵士樂在一個地方、一個日子誕生。
✓ Fact · 事實It grew out of African-American communities in New Orleans, but it did not begin as a single tradition in one place.它從紐奧良的非裔美國人社群發展出來，但並不是在一個地方、從一個傳統開始的。
✗ Myth · 迷思Jazz is all improvised, and so it is random.爵士樂全是即興，所以是亂彈。
✓ Fact · 事實Improvisation is usually done over a chord progression. Swing-era big bands relied more on arrangements that were written or memorized.即興通常是在和弦進行上做的。搖擺時代的大樂團比較倚賴寫好或背熟的編曲。
✗ Myth · 迷思Swing is exactly a 2:1 triplet feel.搖擺剛好就是 2:1 的三連音。
✓ Fact · 事實2:1 is how swing is often understood. In practice the ratio is often more subtle, typically between 1:1 and 3:1, and it varies.2:1 是人們常用來理解搖擺的方式。實際上比例常常細微得多，通常在 1:1 到 3:1 之間，而且會變。
✗ Myth · 迷思Jazz standards were all written by jazz composers.爵士標準曲都是爵士作曲家寫的。
✓ Fact · 事實Not all jazz standards were written by jazz composers.不是所有爵士標準曲都是爵士作曲家寫的。
Remember It · 記憶口訣
Four things to remember 四件要記住的事
Swing = long, short搖擺＝長、短
The first eighth note is lengthened, the second shortened.
前面的八分音符拉長，後面的縮短。
The beat stays steady拍子不動
Only the off-beat notes move.
只有反拍的音在動。
The ratio is not fixed比例不固定
Typically between 1:1 and 3:1, wider when slow.
通常在 1:1 到 3:1 之間，慢的時候比較大。
Improvising has a map即興有地圖
The chord progression guides the notes.
和弦進行指引著音。
Protect Your Ears · 保護耳朵
Before you listen 聽之前
- Start with the volume low and turn it up a little at a time. The hi-hat is a bright, high sound, so it can feel sharper than it is loud.先把音量調小，再一點一點調大。hi-hat 是明亮的高音，會比它的音量讓人覺得更尖。
- With headphones, keep the volume at no more than 60% of maximum, and use personal audio devices for less than one hour a day, as the World Health Organization suggests.戴耳機時，音量不要超過最大音量的 60%，個人音響裝置每天使用少於一小時，這是世界衛生組織的建議。
- At a live concert, stand away from the speakers, and give your ears a quiet break afterward.在現場音樂會，離喇叭遠一點，結束後讓耳朵安靜休息一下。
Classroom Activity 1 · 課堂活動一
Straight, Then Swung 先平均，再搖擺
You need · 準備材料
- A short, familiar rhyme or nursery song一首短短的、大家熟悉的童謠
- Your hands for clapping用來拍手的雙手
Steps · 步驟
- Clap a steady beat, four counts, and keep it going all the time.拍一個穩定的拍子，數四拍，一直保持。
- Say the rhyme with two equal syllables on each beat: “ti-ti, ti-ti”.把童謠念出來，每一拍兩個一樣長的音節：「ti-ti, ti-ti」。
- Say it again, but make the first syllable longer and the second shorter: “long-short, long-short”. Do not change the clapping.再念一次，但把前面的音節拉長、後面的縮短：「長—短，長—短」。拍手不要改。
- Talk about it: what changed, and what stayed the same?討論：什麼變了？什麼沒變？
The beat stays the same; only the words move. If the clapping speeds up, start again.
拍子不變，只有字在動。如果拍手跟著變快，就重來。
Classroom Activity 2 · 課堂活動二
A Class Rhythm Section 班級節奏組
You need · 準備材料
- A desk or drum for the “bass drum”一張桌子或鼓，當作「低音鼓」
- Classroom percussion, such as a tambourine or blocks教室打擊樂器，例如鈴鼓或木塊
- One singer or player as the soloist一位歌者或演奏者當獨奏者
Steps · 步驟
- One group plays steady quarter notes, like a walking bass: one note on every beat.一組彈穩定的四分音符，像行走低音：每一拍一個音。
- A second group plays only on beats 2 and 4.第二組只在第二拍和第四拍敲。
- The soloist invents a short phrase over it, and the group answers: call and response.獨奏者在上面創造一個短樂句，大家回答：呼應。
- Swap roles and try again.換角色，再來一次。
Let the soloist use only two or three notes at first. A small set of notes makes improvising easier.
一開始讓獨奏者只用兩、三個音。音少一點，即興比較容易。
Go Further · 延伸閱讀
Before, around, and after this lesson 這一課的前面、旁邊和後面
Music · Lesson 13 · 音樂・第十三課How Did Western Music Change Over 400 Years?西洋古典音樂四百年怎麼變？Another case of one tune written in different ways.同一段旋律用不同寫法的另一個例子。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →Music · Lesson 3 · 音樂・第三課What Is a Beat?拍子是什麼？The steady pulse that swing is built on.搖擺所依靠的穩定脈動。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →Music · Lesson 6 · 音樂・第六課How Long Is a Note?一個音要多長？Eighth notes and how a beat divides in two.八分音符，與一拍怎麼分成兩半。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →Music · Lesson 15 · 音樂・第十五課What Music Grew in Taiwan?台灣這塊土地上有哪些音樂？Next: the music that grew on this island.接下來：這塊土地上長出來的音樂。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →
Sources · 資料出處
Names, dates, and quotations on this page were checked against these sources (October 2026). The tune, bass line, and hi-hat are our own simple model, and their timing is covered by automatic tests. · 本頁的名稱、年代與引文依下列資料查證（2026 年 10 月）；旋律、低音與 hi-hat 是我們自己的簡單模型，時間排列有自動測試。
- A music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; jazz did not begin as a single musical tradition in New Orleans or elsewhere; characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation; difficult to define; big bands relied more on arrangements; free jazz explored playing without regular meter, beat十九世紀末到二十世紀初在紐奧良非裔美國人社群中形成的音樂類型；爵士樂並非從紐奧良或別處的單一傳統開始；特色是搖擺與藍調音、複雜和弦、呼應、多重節奏與即興；很難定義；大樂團比較倚賴編曲；自由爵士探索沒有規則拍子與節拍的演奏Wikipedia, “Jazz” ↗
- In swing rhythm the pulse is divided unequally; first note of each pair often understood to be twice as long as the second, implying a triplet feel; in practice the ratio is less definitive and often much more subtle; typically between 1:1 and 3:1, and can vary considerably; wider at slower tempos and narrower at faster tempos; swing is typically applied to eighth notes在搖擺節奏裡脈動被不平均地切開；每對音的第一個常被理解成第二個的兩倍長（三連音的感覺）；實際上比例常常更不確定、更細微；通常在 1:1 到 3:1 之間，變化很大；速度慢時較寬、速度快時較窄；搖擺通常用在八分音符上Wikipedia, “Swing (jazz performance style)” ↗
- A style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s; from 1935 to 1946, known as the swing era; swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise over the arrangement一種爵士樂風格，1920 年代末到 1930 年代初形成於美國；1935 到 1946 年稱為搖擺時代；搖擺樂團通常有獨奏者在編曲上即興Wikipedia, “Swing music” ↗
- The spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts in a performance of jazz music; inventing melodies and lines over a chord progression; rhythm section members typically improvise their accompaniment parts, an activity called comping在爵士演出中當場創造旋律獨奏線條或伴奏聲部；在和弦進行上創造旋律與線條；節奏組成員通常即興自己的伴奏，叫做 compingWikipedia, “Jazz improvisation” ↗
- The standard rhythm section is piano, bass, and drums; a rhythm section provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse; walking basslines generally consist of unsyncopated notes of equal value, usually quarter notes; in swing bands the classic rhythm section is electric guitar, piano, double bass and drums; bebop groups dropped the guitar標準節奏組是鋼琴、貝斯、鼓；節奏組提供底下的節奏、和聲與脈動；行走低音通常是沒有切分、音值相等的音，通常是四分音符；搖擺樂團的經典節奏組是電吉他、鋼琴、低音提琴與鼓；咆勃的小團體把吉他拿掉Wikipedia, “Jazz band”, “Rhythm section” and “Bassline” (walking bass) ↗
- A blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard, typically between a quartertone and a semitone; call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases that works like a conversation in music; syncopation is a placement of rhythmic stresses where they would not normally occur藍調音是用和標準音高稍微不同的音高唱或奏的音，通常相差四分之一音到半音；呼應是兩個不同樂句相連，像音樂裡的對話；切分音是把節奏重音放在平常不會出現的地方Wikipedia, “Blue note”, “Call and response (music)” and “Syncopation” ↗
- Twelve-bar blues is predominantly based on the I, IV, and V chords of a key; not all jazz standards were written by jazz composers十二小節藍調主要建立在一個調的 I、IV、V 和弦上；不是所有爵士標準曲都是爵士作曲家寫的Wikipedia, “Twelve-bar blues” and “Jazz standard” ↗
- Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971); Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974), who said “It’s all music”; the Taichung Jazz Festival started in 2003 and is held annually in October路易斯・阿姆斯壯（1901 年 8 月 4 日–1971 年 7 月 6 日）；艾靈頓公爵（1899 年 4 月 29 日–1974 年 5 月 24 日），他說過「這全是音樂」；台中爵士音樂節從 2003 年開始，每年十月舉行Wikipedia, “Louis Armstrong”, “Duke Ellington” and “Taichung Jazz Festival” ↗
- A music type that began in the United States; the music emphasizes the off beats or weak beats of the bar, which creates the feeling of swing; it is a main form of jazz pieces早期發源於美國的一種音樂類型……音樂強調小節裡的下半拍或弱拍，因而帶來搖擺的感覺。是爵士樂曲中的主要音樂形式。教育部《重編國語辭典修訂本》「搖擺樂」 ↗
- Syncopation: by tying the same notes, the strong and weak beats are shifted. Improvisation: arising from the interest of the moment. Blues: slow jazz music and songs with a hint of melancholy, from the American South at the end of the 19th century切分音：樂理規則中，經由同音的結合，使強弱拍子異動，稱為切分音。即興：隨當時的興致所生。藍調：源於十九世紀末美國南部，慢速含有幾許憂鬱氣氛的爵士音樂、歌曲。教育部《重編國語辭典修訂本》「即興」「切分音」「藍調」 ↗
- swing 搖擺樂：爵士樂的一個特定風格，始於 1935 年左右；jazz 爵士音樂；improvisation 即興演奏（唱）；syncopation 切分法；切分音；blue note 藍調音swing: a specific style of jazz, beginning around 1935; jazz; improvisation; syncopation; blue note國家教育研究院「學術名詞資訊網」（音樂名詞） ↗
- Taiwan's 12-year curriculum: arts (music) 音 E-Ⅱ-4, 音 E-Ⅱ-5, 音 A-Ⅲ-1, 音 1-V-2十二年國民基本教育課程綱要藝術領域：音 E-Ⅱ-4、音 E-Ⅱ-5、音 A-Ⅲ-1、音 1-V-2國家教育研究院，十二年國教藝術領域課綱 ↗
- Safe listening: headphone volume to 60% of maximum, personal audio devices less than one hour a day安全聆聽：耳機音量不超過最大的 60%、個人音響裝置每天少於一小時WHO, Make Listening Safe brochure (2021) ↗