Duodecuplet
Rhythmic figure of twelve equal notes in place of the regularly expected subdivision of a note.
What it means
A duodecuplet is an irregular rhythmic subdivision in which twelve equal notes are played instead of the metrically regular number of notes expected. It usually replaces the regular eighth-note subdivision of a dotted note, which would otherwise fall into eight parts, or doubles a sextuplet into twelve notes.
In the notation
Like other irregular subdivisions, a duodecuplet is notated with a bracket or beam over the twelve notes and the number 12 above it, indicating that twelve notes, rather than the regularly expected number, fit into the given time span.
Musical use
Duodecuplets occur mainly in virtuosic instrumental music of the 19th and 20th centuries, where they notate fast, evenly running passages or ornaments over a given time span without cluttering the notation with many smaller individual values. It often stands against a parallel, regular subdivision in another part, creating a rhythmically contrasting, polyrhythmic effect.
A duodecuplet should be distinguished from a simple sextuplet, which places only six rather than twelve notes into the same time span, and from a quintuplet, which comprises five notes. All these irregular subdivisions belong to the same group of rhythmic figures but differ in the number of notes and thus in their sonic density.
Performance practice
Practise a duodecuplet first by mentally breaking it down into smaller, familiar groupings, such as four groups of three or three groups of four, rather than counting all twelve notes in one stretch. Pay particular attention that all twelve notes really sound equally long, since a duodecuplet quickly sounds uneven if individual notes are unconsciously lengthened or shortened.