Exposed!!! Why Variations of Triplets Beats The Rest

Playing the same ol’ triplet over and over again? Can’t seem to get creative with it? Well, variations of triplets around the drums is the easiest way to get your triplets out of a rut.

As drummers we have the choice of HOW to orchestrate triplets around the drums. Obviously, you can get a lot of mileage by restricting yourself to the one variation (Right, Left, Kick for example). Furthermore it’s (arguably) better to stick with the one variation and exhaust all of it’s orchestration possibilities before moving on.

Ultimately though, you don’t want to be a one-trick-pony when it comes to triplets. So it’s worth pursuing other variations. If anything to broaden your mind. Once you’ve mastered one, move on to the variations of triplets and focus on getting them mastered. By exploring the variations of triplets you’ll improve your vocabulary on the drum set. Moreover you’ll always have a continuous source of inspiration.

Triplets [a recap]

To recap, 1/8th note triplets are a group of three notes played in the space of a 1/4 note or two 1/8th notes. See notation below –

There’s a description of triplets in my previous blog (Bonham Triplets); in particular 1/8th note triplets. Obviously you can play these triplets in any subdivision form you like, such as; sextuplets/16th note triplets (6 notes per beat) or even 1/4 note triplets. In my variations of triplets video above I use 1/8th note triplets.

The Variations of Triplets

Basically the variations of triplets enable us drummers to experiment with different stickings. My first encounter of these variations came from 2 sources: Nicko Mcbrain’s – Rhythm of the Beast and Dave Weckl’s – the Next Step videos back in 1990’s!

In my video above I demonstrate –

• 0m40sec – Kick, Right, Left
• 1m05sec – Kick, Left, Right
• 1m41sec – Kick, Right, Left, Kick, Right, Left
• 2m21sec – Right, Kick, Left
• 2m48sec – Left, Kick, Right
• 3m21sec – Right, Kick, Left, Left, Kick, Right
• 3m43sec – Right, Left, Kick
• 4m17sec – Left, Right, Kick
• 4m49sec – Right, Left, Kick, Left, Right, Kick
• 5m19sec – Other variations: Right, Kick, Right / Left, Kick, Left / Kick Kick, Right, Left, Kick Kick, Right, Left, Kick Kick, Right, Left

There are obviously more variations of triplets such as: Right, Kick, Kick / Left, Kick, Kick.

For now we’ll focus on the 9 (main) variations.

Orchestration

Orchestration is the most fun part of these variations of triplets. This is your chance to get creative and move your hands all over the drums to see what you like. For example, you can cross over your hands to have more of a ‘showy’ effect. Furthermore, you’ll see a ton of variations of triplets used in linear drumming.

Choose a variation of the triplets (let’s say Kick, Right, Left) and start with just playing on the one drum. Remember to play along to a click! Get comfortable with the sticking and play at a tempo that you can play the pattern perfectly. After lots ‘n’ lots of reps, move your hands around the drums. Start with the right hand only, then left hand only, then both together. This is where the fun begins. Not only is this good for ear training (as you hear the triplets on different sound sources) but it’s good for the ‘feel’ of triplets away from the one drum.

Moving on, you can see the (almost) endless orchestrations you can make with just one triplet!

Finally, once you’re confident with the one variation, try the whole process again with another variation, then another, then another and so-on.

Practice Anywhere

Remember, you can practice these variations of triplets anywhere, simply by tapping on your legs. If you want to work on a variation that you haven’t mastered yet (for example – left, kick, right), practice slowly and accurately for a minimum of 5 mins daily. Before long, you’ll start to see results that’ll you will want to try on the drums.

Moreover, a good way to find a comfortable tempo in the beginning is to tap out the 1/4 notes with whichever limb you’re STARTING the triplet with. Sing 1-trip-let, 2-trip-let, 3-trip-let, 4-trip-let over the top and add your other limbs accordingly. Subsequently whichever triplet variation you choose, the first partial (note) of the 1/8th note triplet will land on the 1/4 note.

So, get the reps in and watch the results progress your drumming. Remember focused practice is the key.

Do let me know how you’re getting on with variations of triplets in the comments section below!