This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
In B8. Time Signatures 2: Compound Time we saw that we can regularly divide a beat into thirds and sixths by using a time signature in compound time. But what if we just wanted the occasional beat in thirds while the rest of the piece contains half and quarter beats?
Triplets
In simple time, we can divide an individual beat into thirds by using triplets, in this case triplet quavers.
Triplets are indicated with a triplet sign; the number 3 written outside the beam.
In terms of duration,
1 crotchet = 2 normal quavers = 3 triplet quavers
It’s not just crotchets that can be divided into triplets: any standard note value (excluding dotted notes) can. If the note value is too long to use beams, a square bracket is used to indicate the grouping.
In general terms, 3 triplets of any note value are the same total length as two normal notes of that value. They equal one of the next longer note value.
Other Combinations
Any rhythm based on dividing a note into thirds rather than halves can be used within the triplet group, such as a triplet crotchet plus a triplet quaver or a series of triplet semiquavers.
Any rhythm in compound time can be written as triplet groups in simple time.
Note that because a triplet crotchet-quaver group has no beam, a square bracket is used to allow us to see where the beats are.
Sometimes square brackets are written over beamed triplets as well.
How To Play Triplets
When you first try to tap or play triplets in simple time, it’s often hard to keep them even.
The most common mistake is to play the first and second quavers too fast and the last one too slow, resulting in 2 semiquavers and a quaver. This has quite a different character.
Hopefully you’ll already be familiar with the character of triplets from compound time. If not, please revisit B9. How To Read Rhythms 2: Compound Time.
Try These…
- Practise these rhythms made up of triplet groups. If you find them difficult, slow the tempo down.
- Rewrite the rhythms in 12/8 (tip: each triplet is equal to 1 beat of compound time).
Answers at the end of this post.
Swapping Between Quavers And Triplets
Before being able to freely swap between quavers and triplets,
- Practise each rhythm separately to a metronome at a medium-slow tempo, say around 80bpm.
- Once you feel fully settled, try 4 beats of each, then 2.
- Eventually you will be able to alternate at will.
The trick to learning rhythms is repetition. Play each rhythm till you can do it instinctively.
Any rhythm, even a simple one, needs to be so familiar that you can remember it by its character or feel, rather than having to figure it out from scratch every time you play it.
Avoiding Clutter
Triplet signs, especially those with brackets, make the music look unusually cluttered. This is fine for the odd triplet in the midst of normal note values but these common groupings could easily be the main rhythm of the piece. Imagine a whole piece written in triplets!
Pieces which predominantly use triplets are either written in compound time or by using a shortcut which we’ll look at in the next lesson.
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NEXT LESSON: B11. Playing Music With Swing
PART 2 CONTENTS: Basic Music Theory Course Contents
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Answers To Try These…
