How do you explain counting triplets that are 3 quarter notes over a half note? The piece I am referring to has 4/4 time. The measure is quarter note, quarter note, triplet (as described over 2 beats). I'm wondering what you say: " 1, 2, trip-a oh-a let-a"? Something like that? That's what I came up with but doesn't seem very good.

My teacher said "wonderful, wonderful."

Guess she watched Lawrence Welk as a child.

Come to think of it, so did I.

Hee Hee! My grandmother watched it too.

It would have to be "WONder FULwon DERful". See what I mean? The quarter notes coming in on WON...FUL...DER.

I guess I'm not quite sure of the notes in question. Can you post a picture of the score?

Hi Morodiene,
I can't post a pic, but I'll try to explain better. Here is one measure in 4/4 time

quarter quarter [quarter quarter quarter]
(The last 3 quarter notes are bracketed with 3 above indicating they are a triplet.)


I'm now thinking I'll have students count:
One-la-li Two-la-li Three-ee La-ah Li-ee

Start them counting quarter notes as triplets to get the rhythm started...with each syllable being equal in duration.


I got the page scanned, but unsuccessful in posting. Oh, well. It's just 3 quarter notes being played in two beats. And the counting I've come up with will do well enough.

one, two, e-ven-ly

Same as your last post Ann, but with the syllables I usually use for 8th notes and 8th note triplets:

Tikiti Tikiti Tiki Tiki Tiki

with the capital T's giving you the notes. I can get a stronger and more lively mouth rhythm out of these syllables. Say while clapping or stepping the pulse FUN

Thank you Ann! As a student struggling with getting this kind of tripelets to really fit the pulse of the piece, this is the best advice I have seen so far.

Thanks RonO and Canonie for your ideas. Basia C I am delighted that this discussion has been helpful!

Whenever you run across a triplet in sheet music, it is essentially
a signal to play rubato, that is, the three notes of the triplet
are not played in strict time. Compositions are essentially
a composer's improvisations put down in writing, as near
as can be reproduced, which is always an inexact process. The
sheet music version is only a rough approximation of the
free-spirited experience that is an improvisation. A triplet
written down on sheet music is essentially a statement: "when
I improvised, these three notes came out out of time, and
this triplet notation is a rough approximation of what I played."
Thus, to try and put a triplet into some exact time pattern
is not valid. The triplet is played rubato.

> I'm now thinking I'll have students count:
> One-la-li Two-la-li Three-ee La-ah Li-ee

West Side Story:
I-wan-na be-in-A meeeee-riiiii-caaaaa.

Very funny! It works!

That is insanely wrong.

Where did you ever come across anything like this?

Hee,hee. I think so too. But he has a point in that this is a common method of playing them!

It depends upon the speed of the triplets, and the period/style. And other factors.

As a composer I can only say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Strange as it seems, sometimes a triplet means a triplet. But of course the player is part of the music-making team and the composer has control only up to a point. Gyro would be welcome to play anything I wrote.

I'd love to know where he ever got that idea.

Proof indeed once again, that most of Gyro's posts are totally insane, dreamed up whilst smoking goodness knows which exotic weeds!

On the one hand I agree that the notation does not always correctly and precisely specify the intended rhythm.

On the other hand, I do not agree that it is okay to deviate from the intended rhythm.

He's apparently also not real good on follow-through.