Reading and Writing 8th-Note Triplets
One of the most commonly used rhythmic durations in modern music, and the one that is often the most fundamental when learning how to read rhythms, is the eighth note triplet.
The eighth-note triplet is exactly the duration of 1 quarter-note, and fills an quarter of a bar of 4/4 time, it is also the same duration as 2 8th-notes, though this triplet does differ from the normal 8th-note that you may have already checked out in your practicing as you'll see below.
As well, since there are 3 notes in a triplet, over the span of 1 beat, a good way to count this rhythm is to say the words 1-trip-let as you play the notes over that one beat. This way you will help keep the triplet perfectly even over that 1 beat, which is the hardest thing to do when playing this rhythm in a musical context.
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In order to get eighth-note triplets into your playing and practice routine, try the following exercise the next time you work on scales or arpeggios in the practice room.
1. Pick an arpeggio, for example a Cmaj7 arpeggio, and 1 fingering for that arpeggio to work on.
2. Start by playing only eighth-note triplets, at a slow tempo, say 40 beats per minute.
3. When that is comfortable, increase the speed of the metronome.
4. To learn how the eighth-note triplets relate to other rhythms, you can then play 1 bar of whole notes and 1 bar of eighth-note triplets, or 1 bar of half notes followed by 1 bar of eighth-note triplets etc.
5. Finally, you can play 1 bar of whole notes, 1 bar of half notes, 1 bar of quarter notes, 1 bar of 8th notes, 1 bar of 8th-note triplets, and 1 bar of 16th-notes, rotating through these different rhythms as you practice scales in the practice room.
Do you have a question or comment about eighth-note triplets, or the scale exercise above? If so share it in the comments section below.
