Triangle

What it means

The triangle is a steel rod bent into a triangle, open at one corner, struck while hanging freely with a small metal beater. Because of the open corner and the geometric shape, its partial structure is not harmonically ordered; it therefore sounds without a determinable pitch, bright, glittering, and with a long ring. It is hung from a thin cord that hinders the vibration as little as possible, usually from a holder or in the hand.

In the notation

The triangle is notated on one line in the percussion staff. Rolls appear as tremolo strokes and are executed by moving the beater quickly back and forth in one corner. Damping indications are important, because the ring is long; if they are missing, the note rings out.

Musical use

Despite its small size, the triangle asserts itself even in the full orchestra, because its sound lies in a frequency range in which few other instruments work. Since the eighteenth century it has belonged to the percussion section and serves to brighten climaxes, to mark individual accents, and to produce a shimmering background. Because it is so well audible, it is dosed sparingly; a single stroke at the right point works more strongly than a continuous figure. At soft dynamics a fine glitter arises that is hard to locate.

Performance practice

Hold the triangle hanging freely, so that it vibrates unhindered; if it touches the hand or the holder, it sounds dull. Strike on one side, not in a corner — there it sounds harder. You control the volume through beater weight and striking force; keep several beaters of different thicknesses ready. Damp with the fingers of the holding hand and plan the stopping precisely in rhythm. For rolls, move the beater back and forth in one of the closed corners. Do not touch the rod with bare fingers, and check the cord for wear.

Bear in mind that the size and thickness of the rod determine the sound: a small triangle sounds bright and short, a large one fuller and longer. Keep several instruments ready and choose according to the passage. For rhythmically precise figures the triangle is occasionally fixed to a holder and played with two beaters; this allows faster sequences. Take care to hang it noiselessly and make sure the cord does not choke the instrument. Practise the damping in tempo, because it counts rhythmically just as much as the stroke.