Shuffle

A shuffle is a rhythm built on uneven eighth notes: instead of splitting each beat into two equal parts (straight eighth notes), it's split like a triplet where only the first and third notes are played — a long beat followed by a short one, giving the rhythm its characteristic "bounce" (swing).

The same grid, a different feel

Two strictly identical chord grids can sound very different depending on whether they're played with straight eighth notes or a shuffle feel: that's exactly the difference between a plain blues chord-change sheet and its shuffle version on the same grid. Shuffle is the rhythmic signature of blues, but it also shows up widely in rock (boogie) and jazz.

On Guitarshelf

The "shuffle" tag marks every sheet that uses this rhythm, available across several sheet types (rhythm, chord change, strumming, power riff) and several keys.