Understanding Tuplets

Understanding Tuplets by Jonathan Curtis

In this lesson, I take a quick, introductory look at tuplets. This is not meant to be a particularly in-depth lesson, but a quick explanation of why there are sometimes two numbers in a tuplet. Without understanding why there are two numbers, and what they mean,a tuplet can be unnecessarily confusing. Hopefully this video will clear up some of that confusion.

Thanks for watching, and please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions or video requests.

[judymarsden]

thank you for this video. I'm doing the MOOC on Music Theory at Univ of Edinburgh right now and I really didn't understand the prof's talk on tuplets. Now it's clearer.

[Erantskuni]

I’m taking the Edinburgh MOOC as well and came here after somebody posted the link.
I want to thank you for this video. I used to have a very good teacher who knew how to count properly (like you), and it’s so easy to understand through this method. I’m amazed so few musicians know how to use it.
Thanks a lot for sharing what you know!

[handsomejas]

I was having trouble understanding this concept and it ended up being really easy to understand thanks to you. <3

[sanjanav]

Thank you so much!! You explained it really well and I could understand it much more clearly than in the MOOC on Music Theory.

[elainefleischmann]

Brilliant!  Thank you Johathan for letting us HEAR it as well as see it.

[SriOrshu]

Thanks mate, i'm finishing writing something for musicians and making it as neat as i can for them. This cleared up my last issue. Cheers !

[redalert]

What’s difficult is figuring out how fast to play it, triplets not so much

[sheldonedwards]

Thank you thank you thank you I finally understand how to play the last segment of the Bluecoats 2014 drum break!

[AkrabSouls]

You made it really clear . good job :)

[Darksan]

thank you for explaining it very clearly now i understand it 

[prfizfz]

Thanks for explaining the mechanics behind Tuplets. Could you please do a lesson in which Tuplets are played against other Tuplets. This is where I have difficulty.

[prashantnautiyal]

Nicely done brother .... Thanks a lot !!

[king-]

Thank you so much it really helped me understand a lot better!

[junkvankaak]

Nice Video Great job very clear Thank you

[manolokonosko]

EXCELLENT! Now I can understand articles about Frank Zappa's composition "The Black Page". Thank you!

[AriIskanderKrohnBerle]

Hi! Thanks for the video. I do have a question, though:
Why write it like this? The way I've always written and read tuplets is e.g. ♪♪♪ (with the bracket and number 3 above) for tuplets as eights, and 𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯 (with the bracket and number 3 above) for tuplets as sixteenths. I guess I don't see the point or I don't understand the consept properly. Could you please explain?

Thanks in advance!

[daniwastaken]

I also got here from the Edinburgh MOOC, and although your explanation is really clear, I'm wondering... could it be possible a 5:2, for example? or is it always the closest number (3:2, 5:4)? I don't know if I'm even asking this correctly, sorry!

[AbhiBass]

When you play 5:4 does the accent change from the right hand as you started to your left hand on the first beat?

[pauzidiitin]

pleas come in nagaland india fr teaching u re a genious

[pablogday]

Great job. Really didactic and easy to understand.