Quarter Note Triplets

[cassanova]

Gard and I were talking and the topic of triplets came up. He mentioned 1/4 note ones. He told me to fit 6 notes into a 4/4 time signature more or less. (thats providing I understood him corectly)

Im not quite sure how you would count these out and play them, as it seems a bit wierd and almost impossible to fit 6 quarter notes into a 4 count bar.

Can someone please shed a little light on this subject for me as to how to play these so that I can shed them in my spare time.

Much Love

Mama Cass

 

[Wil Davis]

Think 6/4 (compound-duple in quarter-notes, rather than the more common eighth-notes (6/8)). Or, if you're familiar with the standard "Besame Mucho", you will find that quarter-note triplets are used frequently in that song...

Hope this helps -

- Wil

 

[moley]

Split the bar into 2 x 2 beats. You just gotta play 3 notes over 2 beats, twice. Beat 2 of the bar should fall half way in between the 2nd and 3rd triplets. Likewise, beat 4 should fall half way in between the 5th and 6th triplets.

 

[WillPlay4Food]

I've been working on quarter note triplets for almost a month now. What finally started getting it through my head was tapping to a metronome, and moving from 1/8th note triplets to 1/4th triplets.

Let me try to explain:

I set my metronome to a not-too-fast setting like 60 to 70. Then with one hand, I started slapping out 8th note triplets on my leg. So now one hand is hitting 3 times for each click on the 'nome.

Now, as you're counting (1-tri-plet 2-trip-let or however) only slap your leg on every other count. You are now slapping out 1/4 note triplets.

Now, take your other hand and slap out the 1/4 notes. This hand will be in sync with the 'nome.

What should be happening now is that both hands hit on the '1' beat. The second 1/4 triplet gets slapped just before the '2' beat gets slapped, and the final triplet gets slapped shortly after.

It kinda looks like this: (pardon the TAB-like appearance )

| 1/4note -1--2--3--4--1--2--3--4--
| 1/4trip -1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-
| 1/8trip -123223323423123223323423


Mathematically it's kinda hard to break down evenly but the 1/4 triplets are hitting on the 1, 1 & 2/3 and 2 & 1/3 beats. I count them as 1 (&) 2 (&) 3 (&), so I'm basically counting 1/8th note triplets but only playing every other one.

It feels like it's taking forever to get this, but for some reason slapping out both beats on my legs kinda drilled it into my head how I want to play against the 'nome.

Hopefully this helps.

Just keep at it.

 

[thrash_jazz]

Originally posted by SUPERNOVA
Im not quite sure how you would count these out and play them, as it seems a bit wierd and almost impossible to fit 6 quarter notes into a 4 count bar.

IME the easiest way to "feel" this is to try playing it as a regular quarter-note triplet in half time.

 

[Phil Smith]

We are talking sextuplets, where the first, third and fifth notes are accented. A false sextuplet is a double triplet.

 

[JimK]

Originally posted by cassanova
Im not quite sure how you would count these out and play them, as it seems a bit wierd and almost impossible to fit 6 quarter notes into a 4 count bar.

Can someone please shed a little light on this subject for me as to how to play these so that I can shed them in my spare time.

Yo Mama-
There's a section in Yes' "Roundabout" that you're already possibly familiar with(& probably already know how to play).
It's the section where the bass & the guitar are playing a unison line together(opening notes= E-F#G-A followed by B-A-G-A followed by B-A-G-A-G-F#-G-F#-E). 1/4 note triplets galore.


Shedding 6 notes to 4:
I still like the clap/tap method-

RH taps l1-2-3-4-5-6-l
LH taps l1--&--4--&--l
Together with ONE hand would = l1-2&3-4-5&6-l
If you have a drum machine, program the RH with one type of drum sound(kick?) & the LH with a totally different drum sound(snare?).

 

[jazzbo]

Dammit Cass,

Quit uninstalling Finale! Plug in the quarter note triplets into Finale and have fun!

Simple. See.

 

[cassanova]

Thanks for all the explainations gang, its much appriciated. Im still a bit confused by it, but Im downloading some of the songs mentioned to get an aural example of what the hell ya'll are talkin about. This should bring me up to speed.


Dead Fucwad is "These Foolish Things" a song?


You're right Jazzbow, but I need to keep some free memory on this thing, and since I dont write much music I dont keep it installed.

 

[JimK]

KungFuqua'd.

 

[cassanova]

Originally posted by Ed Fuqua
MUAMAR CHASIDIM - you can't see me, but right now I have my hand against my forehead and am just shaking my head sadly.

Yes.

THESE FOOLISH THINGS is a song.

any particular version you're referin to? i did a search on win mx and it yielded many different artists under that title. Brian Ferry, Etta James, Benny Goodman, just to name a few.

 

[Wrong Robot]

the song Reza by Jaco Pastorius is almost entirely quarter note triplets
Invalid Link Removed
and if you know the song, you know it has a funny rhythmn in the melody. well there it is

 

[Wil Davis]

Originally posted by cassanova


any particular version you're referin to? i did a search on win mx and it yielded many different artists under that title. Brian Ferry, Etta James, Benny Goodman, just to name a few.

or even Rod Stewart (actually I came across it quite by chance, and a damn fine job he makes of it too!!!)

- Wil

 

[cassanova]

Originally posted by Wil Davis


or even Rod Stewart (actually I came across it quite by chance, and a damn fine job he makes of it too!!!)

- Wil

I got the Etta James version and just downloaded Rod Stewarts copy of it. Very nicely done IMO.

 

[Zon Bass]

The way that I learned was to count triplets as trip uh let

so instead of 1 2 3 4 <br><br>it is <br>
trip uh let trip uh let

 

[BlacksHole]

One approach I didn't see mentioned yet for 1/4 note triplets is to first think in 1/8 note triplets and then only pick (thump, bow, whatever) only every other one, i.e., the 1st, 3rd and 5th (which is the 2nd one of the second group of 1/8 note triiplets). Regardless of which method you xhoose, after a bit of practice it will hopefully come more naturally to you without having to really think about it.

 

[cassanova]

Originally posted by Ed Fuqua
"any particular version" well it's a standard so pretty much any version you get is gonna have (or be based) on the same melody and harmony. But, if you're interested in learning the tune, I would try to get the "straightest" version possible. Billie Holiday has a nice reading of it.

But again, it's a standard, so there are gonna be literally thousands of recordings that it's on.

alrighty, thanks for tid bit of info Ed, BTW, there was no need to bold the word standard, I know what a standard is.

Gonna get the BIlly Holiday one as soon as I get back in from work today.

 

[Wil Davis]

Originally posted by BlacksHole
One approach I didn't see mentioned yet for 1/4 note triplets is to first think in 1/8 note triplets and then only pick (thump, bow, whatever) only every other one, i.e., the 1st, 3rd and 5th (which is the 2nd one of the second group of 1/8 note triiplets). Regardless of which method you xhoose, after a bit of practice it will hopefully come more naturally to you without having to really think about it.

Interesting approach...



...but isn't that a bit like the farmer tallying his cows by counting the number of legs and dividing by four?



- Wil

 

[marc40a]

1/4 note triplets - I'm a big fan of them.

While we're on the subject, I'd like to clarify a popular misconception that Reggae basslines are played 'behind the beat.'

Most people who make this generalization aren't familiar with or don't fully grasp the concept of the quarter note triplet.

A 1/4 triplet played in the context of 4/4 tune interspersed w straight 16ths and 8th notes gives the impression of playing 'behind or dragging the beat.'

It's an excellent device to use.

Reggae bass is just as on the beat (maybe even moreso - especially considering that it uses 1/16ths frequently) as any other music it's just that the beat get sliced up different ways.

 

[marc40a]

Can i get a witness?