Editing Swing era (section)

===Instruments===
To help bands adjust to the new groove, major changes were made in the rhythm section. While the bass drum continued to play a rock-solid four beat pulse, the [[tuba]], commonly used in large dance bands of the 1920s, was replaced by the [[string bass]]. During the early years of recording, the tuba was able to project a clear, huffing sound. But the string bass had been replacing the tuba over the rhythmic devices available with it and many players, including [[Wellman Braud]] with Duke Ellington's band, showed that the instrument had a special percussive flavor when the strings were given a [[pizzicato]] "slap" (plucked rather than bowed). Change came gradually in the late 1920s, once word had gotten around about how well the string bass worked; many tuba players realized that they'd better switch instruments or lose their jobs.  With [[Walter Page]]'s bass replacing the tuba in [[Bennie Moten]]'s Kansas City Orchestra, the way was laid clear for the band to develop the kinetic style of swing it would show under the leadership of Count Basie.

The banjo, with its loud and raucous tone, was replaced with the guitar, which provided a more subtle and secure pulsation (chunk-chunk) in the foundation rhythm. As the saying went, the guitar was more felt than heard. Listeners felt the combined sound of bass, guitar, and drums as a sonic force that pushed through cavernous dance halls. "If you were on the first floor, and the dance hall was upstairs," Count Basie remembered, "that was what you would hear, that steady rump, rump, rump, rump in that medium tempo."

As often noted by commentators on jazz history, the swing era saw the saxophone supersede in many ways the trumpet as the dominant jazz solo instrument. Swing arrangements often emphasized the reed section to carry the melody, with trumpets providing accents and highlights. For this reason the types of solo improvisations would change dramatically during the thirties. Trumpeter [[Roy Eldridge]] deviated from the more common Armstrong-influenced styles towards a style of improvisation resembling that of reed players, and in turn would be an early influence on bebop trumpet pioneer [[Dizzy Gillespie]]. [[Coleman Hawkins]] and [[Benny Carter]] broke the barrier to early acceptance of the saxophone as a jazz instrument but it was the style of [[Frankie Trumbauer]] on C melody sax, showcased in the recordings he did with [[Bix Beiderbecke]] in 1927, that laid the groundwork for the style of saxophone playing that would make it a dominant influence on soloing styles.<ref>Oliphant, Dave (2002). "Precursors to and the Birth of Big-Band Swing." In ''The Early Swing Era'', 32-38. Westport: Greenwood Press.</ref> [[Lester Young]], whose influence on saxophone playing became dominant towards the end of the 1930s, cited Trumbauer's linear, melodic approach to improvisation as his main inspiration for his own style.

The [[Fletcher Henderson]] Orchestra in 1927 consisted of two trumpets, two trombones, three reeds, piano, banjo, tuba, and drums. The Goodman band in 1935 had three trumpets, two trombones, the leader's clarinet, two alto saxes, two tenor saxes, piano, guitar, bass, and drums, fourteen pieces in all, compared to Henderson's eleven in the earlier days. The piano-guitar-bass-drums rhythm section had become standard and kept a steady and uncluttered beat that was very easy to follow. Goodman was quite skilled at setting the perfect dance tempo for each song while alternating wild "killer dillers" with slower ballads.<ref>Berendt, Joachim (1976). "Swing – 1930." In ''The Jazz Book'', 58-61. St Albans: Paladin.</ref> In addition to Henderson and his younger brother Horace, Goodman employed top arrangers such as Fletcher Henderson, [[Jimmy Mundy]], [[Deane Kincaide]], [[Edgar Sampson]], and [[Spud Murphy]] who put the melody first but included rhythmic figures in their charts and wrote arrangements that built to a logical climax. Mundy and Sampson had previously done arranging for [[Earl Hines]] and [[Chick Webb]], respectively. In 1935, Goodman did not have many major soloists in his band. Unlike Duke Ellington, who went out of his way to hire unique individualists, and Count Basie, who came from a Kansas City tradition emphasizing soloists, Goodman was most concerned that his musicians read music perfectly, blended together naturally, and did not mind being subservient to the leader. It was the sound of the ensembles, the swinging rhythm section, and the leader's fluent clarinet that proved to be irresistible to his young and eager listeners.