Theory
Today you add a swing-16 feel to the laid-back groove. Don't split the 16ths evenly like a machine — the front 16th a touch longer, the back 16th a touch shorter — this tiny unevenness makes the stickiness.
Swing 16 means swinging at the 16th-note level. It's denser than 8th swing, so the comping rolls soft and sticky. Split dead-even and it sounds robotic; swing it slightly and you get a human-hand groove. On paper you still write it on the beat and only mark swing 16ths — the swinging is done by your hand.
Today you add one more chord too: the Dm9 → G13 vamp. G13 stacks b7 (F)·3 (B)·13 (E) over the 6th string fret 3 (R=G). Dm9's dusk and G13's brightness trade off, and the vamp breathes. First, learn the G13 hand shape.
▶ The G13 comping grip: 6th string fret 3 (R) with b7·3·13 stacked on top.
See it
Now roll the Dm9 → G13 vamp in swing 16. Bar 1 is Dm9, bar 2 is G13. Trade the two chords and swing them in 16ths, and the comping comes alive, sticky.
▶ BPM 72, swing 16ths. Bar 1 Dm9 → bar 2 G13. Trade the two chords and roll them sticky in swing 16.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up At BPM 60, just switch between Dm9 and G13 as a grip. Check the hand shape changes smoothly first. If the chord change snags, the swing falls apart on its own.
10–20 min · Brain training (feeling swing 16) Swing the 16ths long-short. Tap the beat with your foot while filling the gaps slightly unevenly. Learn the move with the sticky grid below.
▶ BPM 72, swing 16ths. Swing the 16ths long-short and roll the comping sticky.
20–40 min · Real swung vamp (BPM 72) Loop the Dm9 → G13 vamp above in swing 16. When the swing stays sticky and unbroken even across the two chords, you've reached today's goal. Don't lose the swing at the chord change.
40–50 min · Recording / self-feedback (recommended) Record and listen back. Check by ear whether the 16ths are robotically even or swung slightly and sticky.
Done when: You can roll the Dm9 → G13 vamp in swing 16 at BPM 72 and produce sticky comping.
Just the mistakes that show up most in swing-16 comping.
▶ Hold Dm9 and G13 one bar each, big, and feel the hand move between the two chords.
- The 16ths sound robotic. Tap the beat with your foot and swing the gaps slightly long-short.
- The chord change snags. Hold the shared spots of Dm9 and G13 (2nd and 4th strings) and move only the fingers you need.
- The tempo collapses while swinging. Swing only moves the spot. Keep the beat steady with your foot.
- You swing too hard. The unevenness is very slight. Overdo it and it turns awkward — add it bit by bit at BPM 60.