The Beatles used swing beats often in their songs (some of us just didn’t notice!). I know this because I have transcribed a lot of their songs with a straight beat and when it was turned into an mp3 it didn’t sound right.

Some of their songs that use a swing beat are Penny Lane, Fixing a Hole, Being for the Benefit of Mister Kite, I Feel Fine, and today’s songs Honey Pie and Your Mother Should Know.

Do you know what the difference is between a swing beat and a straight beat? A swing beat is broken up into triplets, and the middle triplet is silent. Here is an example of a swing beat:

And here is a straight beat:

(It’s obvious that a straight beat would not work with these songs.)