Lesson 251

Rhythm Challenge: Triplets

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Hello and welcome back I'm Joseph Hoffman, and today we're going to be doing a rhythm challenge focused on triplets. Let's come to the heartbeat mat to get started. This rhythm is called a triplet. Three notes all connected with a beam, and usually you'll see a number three up above with this kind of a little bracket. Sometimes you'll see that three down below. The word triplet in music is spelled and sounds the same as the word triplet meaning when you have three babies all at the same time. But instead of three babies sharing the same birthday, we have three notes all sharing the same beat. To make the sound of a triplet, let's just say TRI-PL-ET. Triplet is really just a two syllable word, but we're going to turn it into a three syllable word. TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET Can you say that with me? Go. TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET Notice that the sound of a triplet has a smooth rolling sound. If we wanted to use our advanced counting system, we'd say 1-&-a 2-&-a 3-&-a 4-&-a Can you say that with me? Go: 1-&-a 2-&-a 3-&-a 4-&-a. Let's try clapping it, go: 1-&-a 2-&-a 3-&-a 4-&-a This rhythm would be 1-&-a 2-&-a 3-&-a 4-&-a Can you try it with me? Clap and count. Ready, go! 1-&-a 2-&-a 3-&-a 4-&-a With rhythm words we could say TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET TA TRI-PL-ET. Let's try saying this rhythm now I've added 4 extra beats using rhythm words. So we'll say TRI-PL-ET for a triplet. We'll say TA for the quarter note. REST for the quarter rest, and TWOO-OO for the half note. Can you point on your screen and let's say the rhythm words together? Ready go, TRI-PL-ET TA TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET REST TRI-PL-ET TWO-OO Now sometimes I like to have fun by thinking of like food words instead of TRI-PL-ET What's a three-syllable food word? How about pineapple? And then we need a one syllable for the quarter note. How about pie? Pineapple, pie, pineapple, pineapple, REST pineapple, YU-M. Right? Or we could do broccoli, cheese, broccoli, broccoli, REST, broccoli, pie. Okay, can you try this rhythm on your own? Pause the video and point to each beat and you can use rhythm words TWO-OO, or you can use the food words YU-MM. Broccoli Pause the video, try this rhythm on your own, then press play and we'll try it together. Okay, let's use broccoli cheese, and we'll say YU-MM for the half note. Try it with me, go: YU-MM, broccoli, cheese, broccoli, broccoli, REST, YUM, I mean, cheese. As I mentioned earlier, a triplet is when three notes share 1 beat. Now there are lots of ways to share a beat. The special thing about triplets is they're very good at sharing. A triplet will always divide up the beat perfectly evenly. Each note of a triplet takes up exactly one third of the beat, and that's what gives triplets their special smooth rolling sound. TRI-PL-ET, TRI-PL-ET, TRI-PL-ET, TRI-PL-ET We have seen other ways that you can divide a beat between three notes. Remember, the eighth note with two sixteenth notes TI-TI-KI Here's a rhythm that also has three notes fitting into 1 beat, but they're not as good at sharing like the triplets are. With TI-TI-KI you've got one eighth note that's kind of a hog, because he takes half of the beat all to himself leaving the other half of the beat to be split between the two sixteenth notes. That's why with TI-TI-KI you hear one longer sound TI on the first half of the beat Followed by two quicker sounds TI-KI TI-TI-KI TI-TI-KI TI-TI-KI TI-TI-KI You can also reverse the sequence and place the two sixteenth notes in the first half of the beat with the eighth note in the second half. TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI So, let's practice hearing the difference between these two different ways we can place three notes into a single beat. We've got this TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI That would sound like that. This was TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET TRI-PL-ET Do you hear the difference? Let's try saying it together while we clap it. Up here we've got TI-KI-TI say it with me, go: TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI TI-KI-TI, And this one clap with me, TRI-PL-ET, TRI-PL-ET, TRI-PL-ET, TRI-PL-ET. A very different sound. All right, let's play a game. I'm going to say one of these rhythms, but I'm not going to tell you which one. You have to listen and see if you're hearing: TRI-PL-ET in your rhythm or TI-KI-TI So, you'll tell me do you hear Turtle's rhythm or Elephant's rhythm? Here's your first one: Did you hear Turtle or Elephant? Listen one more time: If you said Elephant, you're correct. Say it with me. TA TRI-PL-ET TA TRI-PL-ET Or we could have said TA pineapple TA pineapple. Okay, now I've switched out with some TI-TI-KI's. Let's try saying Turtle's rhythm, go: TI-TI-KI TI-TI-KI TI-TI-KI TI-TI-KI Good, or we could say blackberry, blackberry, blackberry, blackberry, if we wanted to use a food word. Okay, so let's play our game again. Tell me if you hear Turtle's rhythm or Elephant's rhythm. I'll do one of them, but I won't tell you which. Your job is to listen and figure it out. Here it is: Which did you hear? Listen one more time. If you said Turtle, you're correct. It was blackberry, blackberry, pie, pie. Clap it with me, go: blackberry, blackberry, pie, pie ...