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Triplets (again)

Danny R.

Danny R.

Supporting Member
Feb 7, 2003
3,115
243
39.5296° N, 119.8138° W
#1
I've been doing triplets for a few years now, I've been working in some new ideas but I'd like to get more ideas and opinions, suggestions etc. basically I want to learn more ways to do triplets, here's some soundclips ;)

N. 1: this triplets are ala Wooten, everybody can do it, thumb down, thumb up and pluck, very easy and cool triplets, I'm posting the soundclips just as a reference of how I do the triplets, the bass is recorded directly to my soundcard.
 
#3
N. 3: this triplets are a little hard (my favorite), I've been working on this triplets for a few weeks now, what I do is; I slap the E string (muted) anywhere on the board, hammer, slap (muted), and double pluck (index and middle), I do some other variations, but I wanna learn other ways to make triplets so if any one have and Idea, another way or a suggestion please let me know.
Thanks guys ;)
 
#4
Very cool.

now post some pictures! :)

I have been working on triplets a lot myself, tough I can't do it as well as you!

I'm working on it though! ;)


one note, wouldn't the second one by a quadrate? not a triplet :p
 
#9
Originally posted by The Bass Guru
I've been doing triplets for a few years now, I've been working in some new ideas but I'd like to get more ideas and opinions, suggestions etc. basically I want to learn more ways to do triplets...
Click to expand...

Well there's nothing hard about triplets, as such - it's just putting three notes, where you would expect a group of 2, according to the time signature.

So - you can have triplet groups in slow ballads - like Mingus's "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" has some very slow triplet groups, as part of the main melody.

In fact most Jazz has a "triplet feel" - this is what gives it its swing, in some contexts.

So - if you have a very slow ballad - where you would expect 4 beats in the bar - but could easily play 8 (or even 16) - then if you play two group of 3 - that is : six notes in the bar - then you have played triplets - it's just a different way of subdividing the bar and making the rhythmic feel, less "square".

You have replaced two groups of two with two groups of three! So - that's the simplest way to do it - but of course you can put in groups of 3 eigtht notes and break up the bar even more - you are just adding more rhythmic interest ....but what you are doing is what Jazz often tends to do - implying a 12/8 time signature in an ostensibly 4/4 tune.
 
#10
Originally posted by The Bass Guru
Yeah, I guess so, what about the third one?? I hit the strings 5 times with that motion, what should I call it? :D
Click to expand...

There are two "offical" names for that - but neither is quintet!! ;)

So I alway call it "quintuplet" or quintuple time - but my music dictionary says it can also be known as "quintole" !!

"Groups of 5 notes, or notes and rests, of equal time value, written to be played in the time of 4 or 3."

(Oxford Dictionary of Music)
 
#13
I've always heard it called a quintuplet in orchestra and 'classical' music in general. A quadrate wouldn't be dividing anything into a group of 3 so it'd just be four 32nd notes or something :D

How about doing....
thumb - left hand slap - thumb
thumb - left hand slap - pluck
thumb - left hand slap - middle - index (you can really get this one sounding FAST without much effort)

I also do one where I slap down - slap up - pluck w/ thumb. I suppose you could just do down - up - down but I'm not very good at that. Anyway, it gives you a triplet without using your other fingers. It makes it easy to do down - up - pluck thumb - middle - index - left hand slep and get a quick sextuplet. If this was confusing I'll try to take a picture haha. Neat thread.
 
#14
At wootcamp, there was a kid who would do down/up with his thumb then quickly do a rake with all four fingers in succession.

combined with some left handed stuff, it created quite the cacophony of clicky noises ;)

One thing I do sometimes, is down up with my thumb but ALSO down up with each finger.
 
#15
Originally posted by ole Jason
I've always heard it called a quintuplet in orchestra and 'classical' music in general. A quadrate wouldn't be dividing anything into a group of 3 so it'd just be four 32nd notes or something :D

How about doing....
thumb - left hand slap - thumb
thumb - left hand slap - pluck
thumb - left hand slap - middle - index (you can really get this one sounding FAST without much effort)

I also do one where I slap down - slap up - pluck w/ thumb. I suppose you could just do down - up - down but I'm not very good at that. Anyway, it gives you a triplet without using your other fingers. It makes it easy to do down - up - pluck thumb - middle - index - left hand slep and get a quick sextuplet. If this was confusing I'll try to take a picture haha. Neat thread.
Click to expand...
Cool, by left hand slap you mean slapping the open string with the left hand or just a hammer on??
I also like doing triplets just in one string (ala Abe Laboriel), thumb down, hammer on, thumb up, I'll post some soundclips tonight after practice, I'll try to post a sextuplet (Mexican HexaSlap Deluxe) :D
thanks guys!! keep the replys with ideas coming :bassist:
 
#17
Yeah just slap your left hand palm against the strings for a good ole clack :D

Raking is neat too, although personally I can't do much with less than six strings haha. If I'm slapping on the A string I will rake the B and E with the thumb before plucking the A string. This is neat for muted grace notes coming into a downbeat.
 
#18
Since I assume we are talking about slapping triplets here, I also use my left hand a bit.
I use the techniques described by ole Jason, but also this little gimmick, which I use to trick people into believing that I can slap really fast (i'm NOT good at slapping)

pop - left hand slap - muted thumb, or
pop - pop - lhs - mt, and to make a quintol (that's what they're called in Sweden!)
pop - pop - lhs - mt - lhs

Nothing advanced at all really, but it makes a lot of noise! They're also quite easy to play right after eachother, so you can fill a bar with them if you can't come up with anything interesting to play!
;)
 
#20
Not trying to hijack here,
just adding a little aide for Nick B.

I recorded these this morning, excuse the flub up on the first one, it's hard to do 3 things at once(positioning, playing and hitting play)

Nick, there are 2 ways that I do double thumb, one is over the Fretboard(what I do most often) the other is past teh fretboard, experiment with different angles of your hand and thumb to get something that is comfortable for you.

I included a pop in this, but ...eh...juts focus on the thumb.

Past the Fretboard


Over the Fretboard


Thanks to Thole for hosting
 

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