Have you ever tried to do two different things at once? Have you guessed it, like stroking your head and rubbing your tummy?
Sometimes we see in music that one hand plays triplets while the other hand plays eighth notes.
What is a triplet? Triplets are three equal notes that are set to the amount of time typically taken by one quarter note, two eighth notes, or four sixteenth notes.
The triplet has a slur (curved line) and a 3 above or below the note group.
So you might be wondering how you’re going to play two notes in one hand while playing three notes in the other. The trick is that none of the notes within the beat will line up except for the first note.
You will need to place two equal notes on each beat with one hand while placing three equal notes on the same amount of time with the other hand.
This is very tricky because both hands seem to be out of sync with each other.
Here are some steps to help you play triplets against eighth notes.
1. Clap the triplets loudly while listening to a metronome for a steady beat. Listen and feel the rhythm in your head.
2. Play a scale with eight ascending notes and descending triplets.
3. Divide the times into six equal parts. The eighth notes fall on the first and third beats of the six.
Triplets occupy the same amount of space that two notes of that value would normally occupy. If you say a word with three syllables, say the word strawberry, then you have an idea that triplets should be the same length.
I recommend saying the words “step by step” aloud as you play each triplet in the piece to get the rhythm right.
So, the triplets will be played on the first, third, and fifth notes in the group of six. As a result, the second eighth note comes right after the second triplet.
I usually count (one and two and) to six each time I play both hands, placing each note and each triplet in the correct place. You will get it with practice. Hear where each note falls within the rhythm.
A song from a movie like Star Wars (Main Theme) by John Williams is a great example of the use of triplets and what an exciting song to play. Note that triplets are not always the same repeated note, nor are they found only in classical music (Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata), but also in blues. Remember, a triplet is a group of notes played at the same time as two notes of the same pitch.
