User manual

Swing playback allows you to hear the uneven rhythms you want whilst retaining their simplied
notation, including if the second eighth note beat is divided into two 16th notes. In Dorico SE,
you can enable swing playback for certain sections and for individual instruments only. You can
swing either eighth notes or 16th notes.
Based on academic research into the rendering of swing by musicians, swing patterns in Dorico
SE are tempo-dependent by default. This means that the swing feels more pronounced at lower
tempos, and straighter at higher tempos.
RELATED LINKS
Enabling swing playback on page 420
Swing ratios and rhythmic feels
Swing ratios express the strength of the swing using beat units. For example, a swing ratio of 2:1
means the rst note in each pair is twice as long as the second, creating a triplet swing.
A swing ratio of 1:1 means the music is played straight, while a swing ratio of 5:1 means each
pair of notes is played as if they were sextuplets, with the
rst note in the pair lasting ve
divisions and the second note lasting one.
Swing ratio 1:1 Swing ratio 5:1
The following rhythmic feels and swing ratios are provided by default in Dorico SE:
2:1 swing 16ths (xed)
Extends the rst note in a pair of 16th notes to be twice as long as the second, creating
a strict triplet 2:1 ratio. This is also known as a “triplet swing”. This ratio is maintained
regardless of the tempo by default.
2:1 swing 8ths (xed)
Extends the rst note in a pair of eighth notes to be twice as long as the second,
creating a strict triplet 2:1 ratio.
This is also known as a “triplet swing”. This ratio is
maintained regardless of the tempo by default.
3:1 swing 16ths (xed)
Extends the rst note in a pair of 16th notes to be three times as long as the second,
creating a dotted 16th-32nd ratio (dotted semiquaver-demisemiquaver). This ratio is
maintained regardless of the tempo by default.
3:1 swing 8ths (xed)
Extends the rst note in a pair of eighth notes to be three times as long as the second,
creating a dotted eighth-16th ratio (dotted quaver-semiquaver). This ratio is
maintained regardless of the tempo by default.
Heavy swing 16ths
Produces a tempo-dependent 16th note swing ratio of between 3:1 at low tempos and
1.5:1 at high tempos.
Heavy swing 8ths
Produces a tempo-dependent eighth note swing ratio of between 3:1 at low tempos
and 1.5:1 at high tempos.
Play mode
Swing playback
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Dorico SE 3.1.10