A Swung note is a rhythmic device, also known as a shuffle note; it is an augmentation of the initial note in a pair and diminution of the second. The style of playing music with these notes is known as swing or shuffle. (See "swing" article for other uses of the term.)

Notes which are not swung are straight notes (no shuffle).

Mostly common this is done with eighth notes and ranges anywhere from treating the initial eighth as a triplet quarter note to a dotted eighth (hard shuffle).

When the initial and final eighth note form a ratio of:

• 1:1 = eighth note + eighth note, straight eighths or no shuffle
• 2:1 = triplet quarter note + triplet eighth, triple meter.
• 2.5:1 = long eighth + short eighth, Swing
• 3:1 = dotted eighth note + sixteenth note, hard swing or hard shuffle

Since a swung note is actually not a note of the named length (a swung eight note is not an eight note), some musicians consider this term a misnomer.

Swing is commonly used in blues, country, jazz, Swing (genre), and often in many other styles.

See also: notes inégales.