Triplet

Three instead of two

In an even pulse a beat divides into two eighth notes. A triplet exceptionally divides it into three equal parts. You count “trip-a-let” or “1-and-a” at equal distances. The rhythm gains a rolling, circling quality as a result. With the metronome every beat can be subdivided into eighths, triplets or sixteenths. Combined with a scale, you first play one note per click, then two, then three, those are triplets, then four. That builds rhythmic flexibility straight into your technique.

Piano

• Menuett F-Dur BWV Anh. 113, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725) · piano · 1 page

  In the first bars of the right hand there are triplets, recognisable by the figure 3 next to the groups of notes.

Guitar

• Etüde Nr. 13 Matteo Carcassi, op. 60 No. 13 · guitar

  The figure 3 appears at the beginning above the first sixteenth notes of the piece.

Triplets in proportion

The triplet is one of the tools that extend the basic grid of note values, together with dotting. The symbol library also contains duplets and quintuplets. Note values are otherwise related by halving, and the triplet is the exception to this. In swing two written eighth notes are not played equally long but long–short, roughly in the ratio 2:1. This is notated as straight eighths with the instruction “swing”, because the ratio varies with style and tempo and a notation in triplets would only be an approximation.

Common mistakes

• Playing a triplet like two eighths plus one: All three notes are equally long.
• Letting the foot wander along: The main beat stays constant, the triplet lies above it.
• Overlooking the figure 3: It shows that this group has three parts instead of two.