# Tuplets and Accentuation



## Dehumanized (May 2, 2012)

I was wondering how you play all the different tuplets. I know triplets, simple as can be. And if I gather my previous knowledge of triplets, I know that you discern the triplets by listening to the accentuation, in other words hearing where the notes are emphasized; and just the general feel of the beat.

When I play Quintuplets and Sixtuplets or whatever they're called. Do I just put an accent on every 5th and 6th note? Like 1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3-4-5? I know that Michael Romeo does something similar, like: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 etc.


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## SirMyghin (May 2, 2012)

Depends what you want to do. Accents can fall wherever you choose, depending on what you are trying to stress. Typically though, on the beat is the common choice, regardless of note duration or number.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (May 2, 2012)

A tuplet has nothing to do with accents. Here are six measures of different divisions without any notated accents. This is open to interpretation, and any sort of accent would most likely be felt on the beat in order to keep some sense of the rhythm, or it may all be unaccented.







And here is a more strict notation. The articulations fall where indicated and there's no shortcut around it.


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## stuglue (May 4, 2012)

As a drummer 16th note triplets were easy to develop once i understood the concept. With 16th notes you have two to every 8th note but if you add one more 16th note you get three per 8th note.


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## stuglue (May 4, 2012)

If you want to get 5s under your hat try saying this word constantly Hippopotamus, its five syllables and gets the rhythm in your . Bit silly but works


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## Mr. Big Noodles (May 4, 2012)

To develop a feel for different divisions, I would either put on a metronome or conduct an even pattern and do konnakol syllables or words with certain numbers of syllables, as stuglue suggested. Just pick a slow tempo, start with a beat, then move to duplets, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets... so on, until you can go no more, then do it backwards. This sort of thing is awesome for your perception of rhythm. Rhythms such as thus aren't that difficult if you can do that:






Well, except for the 6 bar. That one's a pain in the ass.


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## ElRay (May 4, 2012)

SchecterWhore said:


> ... do konnakol syllables or words ...


Do you have a good list, or pointers to a good list? When I look-up Konnakol, all I find is what seems to be (chromatic?) Solfege using ta-di-gi instead of do-re-me. Right now, "WE" (my daughter w/ her teacher & me, because rhythm has been one of my weak points) have been using:

```
plum                  q
apple                 e-e
watermelon            s-s-s-s
grasshopper           e-s-s
peanuts & popcorn &   s-e-s-s-e-s
cantaloupe            e-e-e (triplet)
hippopotamus          s-s-s-s-s (quintuplet)
```
and "Daddy wants a motorcyle" is the new replacement for "watermelon watermelon"

Ray


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## stuglue (May 4, 2012)

For 16th notes try
Pa-Ra-didd-le
For 16th note triplets try
Pa-Ra-didd-le-didd-le
Once you've got comfy with the feel I would say don't keep saying them.
What you want to do is count aloud 8th notes ( 1& 2& 3& 4&) and try playing these rhythms without having to say them


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## Solodini (May 4, 2012)

For odd groups, I suggest tapping the number of beats you're trying to learn with one hand and just taping the first of them with your other hands. Sounds overly simple/obvious but once you start to speed it up, you'll have your septuplets in no time!


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## Mr. Big Noodles (May 4, 2012)

ElRay said:


> Do you have a good list, or pointers to a good list? When I look-up Konnakol, all I find is what seems to be (chromatic?) Solfege using ta-di-gi instead of do-re-me.
> 
> Ray



Interesting. I don't have a link to any sort of list, but I can share my system. There are a lot of konnakol syllables, but I don't use very many of them. All you really need is a group of two (Ta-ka) and a group of three (Ta-ki-ta). Fours are also useful for when your tongue can't keep going takatakatakatakatakataka, and I use both Ta-ka-di-mi and Ta-ka-ju-no. The idea is that every beat has "ta" on it.

You can use it for equal divisions, so a measure of 4/4 in quarter notes is Ta Ta Ta Ta, and eighth notes is Ta-ka Ta-ka Ta-ka Ta-ka. Remember, this system isn't built for written music, and the quarter/half/eighth/whatever doesn't matter when dealing with aural music. So, quarter notes in 4/2 are Ta-ka Ta-ka Ta-ka Ta-ka, as well. Then, going to 6/8 (with the eighth note being constant between them), it's Ta-ki-ta Ta-ki-ta. I've written on out some of the possibilities here:






You also use the same syllables for tuplets.






If you look at the 5/8 measure in my previous post, that's sounded "Ta-ki-ta Ta-ki-ta", but the first ta-ki-ta and the second aren't the same rhythm: one is a triplet, the other is even eighth notes.


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## thesnowdog (May 7, 2012)

ElRay said:


> Do you have a good list, or pointers to a good list?



Takadimi might be what you're after. It's similar to Konnakol and was a great help to me.


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