Triplet
Three notes played in the time normally taken by two of the same value, giving a rolling three-against-two feel.
Triplets are the foundation of shuffle, swing and most blues feels, because they divide the beat into three equal parts instead of two. A shuffle is written as a triplet pair with the first two notes tied, and country and jazz players practise eighth-note triplets until they can move between straight and swung feels at will. The trick is that the triplet subdivision must stay mathematically exact, otherwise the groove drifts.
Example: A blues rhythm in which each beat rolls into three even parts rather than two is played in triplets.
See also
Related
- PageTuplet
- PageAccidental
- PageBar
- PageBend notation
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock
- ReferenceCircle of fifths