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Hi. Been lurking a while, thought I'd take the plunge. Thanks for all the helpful information on this site. I look forward in sharing my progress with all of you.. I'm playing mostly jazz / blues, but I'm trying to devour anything I can. Loving it.

I've read Rodneys post on voicings and it is amazing. Still a bit over my head at times, but what I can grasp has been very helpful.

I've picked up a Easy Jazz fake book, and can get the lead melody with my right hand down, and understand the voicing patterns of the accompanying left hand chords, but my question is about the rhythmic patterns with the left.

Since the chord names are printed on the top of the ledger lines, with no indication of what rhythm to play them in, I assume it's open to interpretation, but is there a starting point to these rhythms?

Like maybe a collection of popular rhythmic patterns written in notation? Many of the songs will say, "to be played as a slow swing" Is there a specific rhythm pattern for "a slow swing" or a starting point to practice with? I'm not at the point where I can just dream up patterns in my head.

Well, hope this all makes sense and isn't to basic of a questions.

Thanks for the help and guidance.

Welcome to delurking, 88fingersLouie! I agree with you that Rodney's thread is a fount of information.

I will let one of the jazz experts on the forum answer your question about standard left hand rhythms. My understanding is that a swing rhythm is, e.g., a pattern of repeated dotted eighth and sixteenth notes, as opposed to playing straight eighths. A slow swing, I guess, would be to do the same, just not very fast.

Guess I will quit while I'm behind and just say welcome again.

Swing is played more like a triplet with the first two notes tied together. Basically, the eighth notes on the downbeat get a longer duration than the eighth notes on the upbeat. Kinda like, bah-da-bah-da-bah-da-bah.....