* Developed in the late 1920s and early 1930s in the United States
* Characteristics:
* Medium tempo
* Strong, regular beat
* Improvisation
* Use of syncopation and "swing eighths" (eighth notes that are played slightly behind the beat)
* Some famous swing musicians:
* Count Basie
* Duke Ellington
* Benny Goodman
* Glenn Miller
* Artie Shaw
Bebop
* Developed in the mid-1940s in the United States
* Characteristics:
* Fast tempo
* Complex rhythms and melodies
* Use of improvisation, often with long, intricate solos
* Dissonance and use of "outside" notes (notes that are not part of the traditional major or minor scales)
* Some famous bebop musicians:
* Charlie Parker
* Dizzy Gillespie
* Thelonious Monk
* Bud Powell
* Miles Davis