After learning basic note values, dotted notes, triplets, and other tuplets open up more rhythmic possibilities in music production. A dot adds half the original note value, while a triplet divides a specified duration into three equal parts. Eighth-note triplets are common in blues, and sixteenth-note triplets can add speed to rhythmic guitar playing or melodies. Learning these and patterns such as quintuplets and septuplets will help you recognize many rhythms used in music.
Understanding Dotted Notes, Triplets, and Other Tuplets
Last time, we introduced basic rhythms using quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes.
This time, we will look at rhythms derived from those note values.
Together, these concepts cover many of the rhythms used in music.
Try working through the entire lesson.
Video Tutorial
- 1MIDI Basics
- 2MIDI Parameters and Values
- 3Software Instruments and Plug-ins: DAW Format Compatibility
- 4Things to Consider When Choosing an Audio Interface
- 5Sampler 1: Sampling Material to Make a Rhythm Instrument
- 6Sampler 2: Making a Pitched Instrument from Samples
- 7Reading the Piano Roll and Rhythm, Part 1
- 8Reading the Piano Roll and Rhythm, Part 2
- 9Reading the Piano Roll and Rhythm, Part 3
- 10The Importance of a Common Tuning Reference
- 11Understanding Tuplets
Dotted Notes
A dot after a note or rest increases its duration by half: it becomes 1.5 times as long.
The image above shows the length of a dotted quarter note in a DAW.
An eighth note is half a quarter note, so add an eighth note’s length to the quarter note.
Likewise, for a dotted eighth note, add the length of a sixteenth note to an eighth note.
Triplets
A triplet divides a duration into three equal parts.
The most frequently used examples divide a quarter note or an eighth note into three equal parts.
Eighth-Note Triplets: Dividing a Quarter Note into Three
Three equal notes spanning one quarter note are called eighth-note triplets.
This triplet subdivision is often used as the basis of genres such as blues.
Triplets on their own may sound a little awkward,
but weaving them into rhythmic patterns or melodies can create impact.
Sixteenth-Note Triplets: Dividing an Eighth Note into Three
By the same principle, three equal notes spanning an eighth note are called sixteenth-note triplets.
Because an eighth note is divided into three, a quarter note contains six of these notes.
They are quite short note values.
They can add momentum to rhythmic guitar playing
or a sense of speed to a melody.
Other Tuplets
For other tuplets, such as quintuplets and septuplets, this example uses the quarter note as the reference duration.
They can be used in ascending string runs, synthesizer arpeggios,
and fast guitar or keyboard phrases.
In this example, six evenly spaced notes in a quarter note have the same note value as the sixteenth-note triplets above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is a dotted note, and how can I use it in a DAW?
A dot to the right of a note adds half its original duration. For example, a dotted quarter note lasts as long as a quarter note plus an eighth note. Dotted rhythms can help create a flowing or swung feel.
Q2. What is the difference between triplets and sextuplets?
A triplet divides a specified span into three equal parts; a sextuplet divides a span into six. Two groups of sixteenth-note triplets spanning a quarter note have the same spacing as six equal notes over that quarter note, although their grouping and notation can differ.
Q3. When should I use eighth-note versus sixteenth-note triplets?
Eighth-note triplets can provide the main pulse or groove in blues and swing styles. Sixteenth-note triplets are finer subdivisions that can add speed and momentum to rhythmic guitar playing or melodies.
Q4. Where are quintuplets and septuplets used?
They can appear in ascending string runs, synthesizer arpeggios, and fast guitar or keyboard phrases, particularly where a complex arrangement or special rhythmic effect is desired.
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