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More Triplets

Contents of this lesson:

If you liked the patterns of the previous lesson you can find here a lot more of the same to help you out.
This is in fact a second lesson about the art of playing triplets, in which you'll find out that not all that glitters is gold. Though some of the patterns may sound like Triplets.... they are not!
Curious? Then let's proceed...

Triplets

But first.... how do you combine rhythms that are played in 4/4 AND 3/4?
They can be combined, naturally, but this needs a little thinking.

Let's pretend the next pattern you see contains two circles (just pretend that's what they are, please).

  1)              
                          1                               1
                    ______________                 _______________
                   /      |       \               /       |       \
                  /       |        \             /        |        \
                 /        |         \           /         |         \
                |         |          |         |          |          | 
             4  |_________|__________| 2       |         / \         |
                |         |          |         |        /   \        |
                |         |          |         |       /     \       |
                 \        |         /           \     /       \     /
                  \       |        /             \   /         \   /
                   \______|_______/               \ /           \ /
                                                   ---------------
                          3                       3              2


                       4/4 Beat                        3/4 Beat

In fact this is what happens if you play 4/4 and 3/4 beats.
You can divide a circle or a coin more or less into 4 quarters, 1-25, 25-50, 50-75, 75-100., or 1-33, 33-66, 66-100.
First thing you see is that there is one common link, the One-Count, which is always on the same place.
The rest however will give you problems.
There is, like you see a way to combine those patterns, but "2" and "3" of the 3/4 beat are floating thru your 4/4-beat pattern, so you have to count like you've never counted before.

For those guys and gals who aren't so fortunate to have a fellow drummer or a mechanical one to act as a metronome the easiest way is to PLAY your eightnote basic pattern from lesson 1 first (not too fast), and then COUNT ALOUD (but DON'T play) a eight-note triplet pattern (one-and-a-two-and-a, etc), while playing.

Be honest with dividing the three beats over the four of the 4/4 and you will succeed.
The only help you get is that every TOM TOM beat (i.e. a "One", "Two", "Three" or "Four") is heared at the same time as the BD or SD.
So it's like this:

 
     2)                1   +   2    +    3   +    4   +

               4/4:   BD , + , SD , + , BD , + , SD , + 
               3/4    LT  & a, HT  & a, LT  & a, HT  & a

Of course you can vary the speed of the triplets, regarding your 4/4 beat pattern, but it's difficult and you should always keep in mind the 1-count of both patterns, that's really important!
You will see that when you practise these exercises you'll get to know better, what Triplets and 4/4's are all about.

      3) A further subdivision:

           _______________         _____     _____     _____
          /       3        \      /  3  \   /  3  \   /  3  \
                                  _______   _______   _______
            |     |     |         |  |  |   |  |  |   |  |  |
            |     |     |     =   |  |  |   |  |  |   |  |  |
           0     0     0         0  0  0   0  0  0   0  0  0

In the following pattern we play some 16th notes (as if they WERE Triplets, which they are NOT) which are played in the "same tempo" you play the rhythm, it's like a kinda "walking bass", right through the 8-note pattern.
So it's a little bit harder to accomplish, I think, than the previous pattern.
You count the pattern like this and the "bold" counts are exact on the same spot as the bassdrum and snare of your drumcomputer or companion. Be aware you play three "triplets" and four 16-notes in line:
One-e-a-two-e-a-three-e-afour-e-a-One-e-plus-a:


       4)     1  e  a  2  e  a  3  e  a  4  e  a  1  e  +  a
                                     
              1  2  3  1  2  3  1  2  3  1  2  3  1  2  3  4
               ==========  ==========  ==========  ==========
               |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   TOM 1 |-----|--|--|-0---|--|--|--|--|-0---|--|--|--|--|--|----|
   TOM 2 |----0---|--|-----|--|-0---|--|-----|--|--|--|--|--|----|
   SD    |:------0--0-----0--0-----0--0-----0--0--0--0--0--0----:|
         |-------------------------------------------------------|
         |-------------------------------------------------------|
         |                                                       |
         |                                                       |
   SD    |----------------0-----------------------0--------------|
         |               |                       |               |
         |---------------|-----------------------|---------------|
   BD        0                        0
            |                        |
            |                        |

Have fun with these "triplets"!

Any questions or remarks? Then write to [harald_o@dds.nl]