# What is a shuffle? Please post examples **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 2, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121 "2021-03-02T16:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/1 "2021-03-02T16:39:31Z")
I’ve often heard that this or that song is a shuffle, in different genres. But I’ve never been clear what exemplifies a shuffle. I think it’s a special beat, but I can’t pinpoint it, though I sometimes have the hunch that a certain song is a shuffle. There’s one interesting instance of one of the members of Gram Parsons And The Fallen Angels (not Gram himself, but I don’t know who exactly), introducing their song “That’s All It Took” as a “song that almost purely typifies the word ‘country shuffle’”. So what makes it a shuffle? And what’s the difference to a blues shuffle, or shuffles in other genres? Ideally, I’m looking for examples of shuffles from all genres. Here’s Gram Parsons’ “That’s All It Took” https://www.youtube.com/embed/xDXBiYqe7oo?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=OLAK5uy_nr9_kWI7p-WXV_Lgt4mMAjktUJ56KuzQ4 And here’s the preceding song on the album, where at the end of the track the band member makes the introduction to “That’s All It Took” https://www.youtube.com/embed/GdnATw6oNdE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=OLAK5uy_nr9_kWI7p-WXV_Lgt4mMAjktUJ56KuzQ4 ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/2 "2021-03-02T16:53:23Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I think it’s a special beat, but I can’t pinpoint it Is it perhaps: > a rhythm where each beat of the measure is played as a triplet with the first and second parts of the triplet tied and the third part accented > [Shuffle Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shuffle) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/3 "2021-03-02T16:56:49Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Is it perhaps: > > > a rhythm where each beat of the measure is played as a triplet with the first and second parts of the triplet tied and the third part accented > > [Shuffle | Definition of Shuffle by Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shuffle) That’s it most probably, but doesn’t help me much because I’m not versed in musical theory, and I’m unable to translate the technical definition into a sound in my mind. That’s why examples would help, most useful would be the very basic beat. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/4 "2021-03-02T16:59:52Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > That’s it most probably, but doesn’t help me much because I’m not versed in musical theory, and I’m unable to translate the technical definition into a sound in my mind. That’s why examples would help, most useful would be the very basic beat. tap-tap-TAP ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/5 "2021-03-02T17:01:02Z")
> [@naita](#): > > tap-tap-TAP Yes, that’s better and helps 😄. It’s that simple? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/6 "2021-03-02T17:01:46Z")
The Curly Shuffle? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/7 "2021-03-02T17:02:03Z")
Well I’m not versed in musical theory either, but that’s what I get from the m-w definition and your example. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/8 "2021-03-02T17:03:50Z")
So the first one is a shuffle. The second is not. It’s a rhythm that goes DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM instead of DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM. So the “DUMS” are a bit longer than the “das” Usually the DUMs are twice to three times as long as the das. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NNLO3fHowjk/maxresdefault.jpg "12 Bar Blues: Straight vs Shuffle Rhythms") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNLO3fHowjk) ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/9 "2021-03-02T17:04:10Z")
A shuffle has a beat that repeats a dotted eighth note followed by a sixteenth note (or a dotted quarter followed by an eighth). It is most commonly associated with blues. I think it’s called a shuffle because it resembles a person planting a foot then dragging the other foot forward before the next step. You can hear it in the song you posted on every beat. Behind the 1-2-3-4 you can hear this 1–ba-2–ba-3–ba-4–ba. Kind of hard to convey without musical notation but I’m sure there are countless examples available. This example of a “country shuffle” really emphasizes the main notes of the beat, a more subtle shuffle. For a killer blues shuffle check out Stevie Ray Vaughn’s **[Pride and Joy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vo23H9J8o8)**. There is a variant called the **[Purdie Shuffle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRIWH4HCoz8) (after drummer Bernard Purdie)** where it is a quarter note triplet written as a quarter-note followed by an eighth note. It is the same idea as the first one but the second beat happens just a hair sooner and gives a more swinging feel. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/10 "2021-03-02T17:08:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > So the first one is a shuffle. The second is not. > > It’s a rhythm that goes DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM instead of DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM. So the “DUMS” are a bit longer than the “das” Usually the DUMs are twice to three times as long as the das. Great, revealing video. I think now I got it! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/11 "2021-03-02T17:14:09Z")
Seriously, is it that simple? That would mean I know something about music now! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/12 "2021-03-02T17:29:28Z")
Or here’s my quick explanation: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-ct7GNiggHk/maxresdefault.jpg "Shuffle vs straight 8s") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ct7GNiggHk) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-shuffle-please-post-examples/934121/13 "2021-03-02T17:34:54Z")
Great, **pulykamell** , that’s fantastic, thanks very much! I now totally got it.