Eighth Note Triplets
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Learn How To Play Eighth Note Triplets On Your Drum Set!
It's almost time to move on to intermediate beats and fills, but before we do, we need to learn a little more theory. Those patterns will require the use of triplets. Let's start off talking about eighth note triplets. Three eighth note triplets are the same as playing two eighth notes. The five exercises on the page are designed to teach you how to play and understand triplets. To count triplets, you count and then say the word triplet. Since triplet is a two syllable word, it counts for two beats. The count goes like this: one trip let, two trip let, three trip let, four trip let.
In the video, you can hear me both regular eighth notes and eighth note triplets along with a metronome so you can see how the two are related to one another and how three triplet notes take up the same space as two regular notes. When you look at the notation, triplets will look like eighth notes, but they will have a little bar over them with the letter 3 on top. That tells you that those three notes are played as a triplet set.
Because there are an uneven number of notes in a triplet pattern, the lead hand will alternate when you play more than one of them in a row. For example, if the right hand starts off on one trip let, then the left hand will start off on the two trip let. You don't have to think about this, it happens naturally. I just wanted to make you aware of it.
Exercises 1 give you some practice time alone with the triplets.
Exercises 2 to 4 give you practice using triplets in a more real world setting by adding in snare rolls of varying difficulty before the triplet pattern.
Exercise 5 puts the triplet patterns in the middle of two regular note patterns to further get you used to incorporating them into your everyday playing.
Learn how to play sixteenth note triplets in the next drum lesson.
