Counting Out Notes Options

[nrpstreetballa]

lately ive been working on licks that switch between 16th notes and 16th note triplets but i am having trouble counting it, i know sixteenth notes are 1-e-and-a-2-e-and-a ect but how do u count sixteenth note triplets and i dont mean 1-2-3-4-5-6 and for that matter how to you count 32nd notes, thank you very much GMC rules!!!!

[Andrew Cockburn]

lately ive been working on licks that switch between 16th notes and 16th note triplets but i am having trouble counting it, i know sixteenth notes are 1-e-and-a-2-e-and-a ect but how do u count sixteenth note triplets and i dont mean 1-2-3-4-5-6 and for that matter how to you count 32nd notes, thank you very much GMC rules!!!!

I think people often get confused between counting and timing ...

Saying 16th triplets are 1 2 3 4 5 6 doesn't really help unless you understand the underlying timing. You need to break everything down into beats, which are usually 4 per bar (also called quarter notes), and work from there, that is what you set your metronome to. From then on its easy.

16th -> 4 notes per metronome beat
16th triplets -> 6 notes per metronome beat
32nds -> 8 notes per metronome beat.

When you know that, invent a numbering scheme to suit yourself. 16ths could be 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, or they could be ack ack ack ack, ack ack ack ack, or anything - don't get too hung up on the numbers, except in the way I listed above.

Many metronomes let you set the number of subdivisions per beat. If you set the sub divisions to the numbers above you will get a noise for every note you play, and that should eb a good way to get started. Later on, just work with the beats to develop your internal counting, once you have a feel for the different timings.

This comes up a lot, I should really write a lesson on it ...

This post has been edited by Andrew Cockburn: May 17 2007, 02:02 AM

[nrpstreetballa]

thank you but i thionk u misunderstood my question i know how many notes 16th notes and 16th note triplets have i just dont no how tocount 16th note triplets,
for example 16th notes 1-e-and-a, that is how u count a 16th note, my question is how do u count 16th note triplets, i realize that they are 6 notes

[Ryan]

I CAN ANSWER THAT....like andrew said..its doesnt matte rhow you count them..you make it up....if you want to do...1 2 3 4 5 6....and say that...for every beat..then have fun..if you want to say 1 e a and a e 2 e a and a e 3, its w/e it doesn tmatter how you count htem..as long as its 6 notes per beat..with the same distance between every note , i think i got that irght

[Andrew Cockburn]

thank you but i thionk u misunderstood my question i know how many notes 16th notes and 16th note triplets have i just dont no how tocount 16th note triplets,
for example 16th notes 1-e-and-a, that is how u count a 16th note,

No, that's how you count 16th notes, I count them pear, apple, banana, goosberry ... (i don't but I could) I never heard of 1-e-and-a before, but thats just fine as long as you know what you mean There is no rule on how you count in termns of the words you say, the important thing is how many of them there are, that is my point.

my question is how do u count 16th note triplets, i realize that they are 6 notes

Any way you like - I use 1,2,3,4,5,6, with "1,2,3,4,5,6" taking up one beat. In your methodology maybe you could use 1-e-a-and-e-a, 2-e-a-and-e-a etc, doesn;t matter as long as you get six per beat.

I CAN ANSWER THAT....like andrew said..its doesnt matte rhow you count them..you make it up....if you want to do...1 2 3 4 5 6....and say that...for every beat..then have fun..if you want to say 1 e a and a e 2 e a and a e 3, its w/e it doesn tmatter how you count htem..as long as its 6 notes per beat..with the same distance between every note , i think i got that irght

Exactly

This post has been edited by Andrew Cockburn: May 17 2007, 02:45 AM