String Theory

Sextuplets and 16th-note triplets

SO FAR, IN our exploration of triplet rhythms, we’ve learned about eighth-note triplets, which are three equally spaced notes per beat, and quarter-note triplets, which are three equally spaced notes spread out across two beats. To review, quarter-note triplets may be thought of as “half-time triplets,” as they’re half as fast as eighth-note triplets and have a staggered, slow-motion quality. We’re now going to venture in the opposite direction and dimension and learn about a smaller, faster subdivision called the sextuplet, and its nearly identical twin, the 16th-note triplet, which has the same rhythmic value and duration.

Sextuplets and 16th-note triplets may be thought of as “double-time triplets,” as they’re both played twice as fast as eighthnote triplets, with six evenly spaced notes per beat. What’s interesting and cool about them is that they can be phrased three different ways: 16th-note triplets occur as two three-note groups (3 + 3), which link to a pair of even, or “straight,” eighth notes — three triplets per eighth note; sextuplets can be either three groups of two (2 + 2 + 2), which relate to eighth-note triplets with an extra note inserted between each one, or a straight six-note group. In any case, the notes are usually alternate picked, unless you’re using hammer-ons, pull-offs, taps or finger slides.

FIGURE 1 demonstrates how this all works, using a repeating C note. We begin with even eighths, counting “1 &, 2 &.” Then, on beats 3 and 4, we pick 16th-note triplets and count “3 trip let & trip let, 4 trip let & trip let.” In bar 2, we revert back to straight eighth notes for two beats then switch to sextuplets, now counting “3 a trip a let a, 4 a trip a let a.” Notice the two different accent patterns and beaming configurations here, with beat 3 of bar 2 encompassing three twonote groups and beat 4 being a “straight six.” Since we’re only playing a repeating C note, the use of accented pick attacks is what conveys the different groupings. But the difference in sound between 16th-note triplets and sextuplets may also be determined by a line’s melodic contour, meaning the ways in which the notes go up and down in pitch.

FIGURE 2 shows how this works, by incorporating different notes into the phrasing. We start out on beat 1 with two even eighth notes, counting “1 &.” We then switch gears on beat 2, transitioning to eighth-note triplets and counting “2 trip let.” On beat 3, we double-up the triplet

Bb. rhythm, adding pull-offs from C to

This naturally conveys a sextuplet phrasing, as we’re now hearing, within a single beat, what sound like three groups of two (2+2+2), which are counted “3 a trip a let a.”

On beat 4, we change things up by introducing a new, lower note, G, after each pulloff. This effectively changes the phrasing to two sets of 16th-note triplets (3+3), which are counted “4 trip let & trip let.” As a beneficial exercise, practice repeatedly alternating between beats 3 and 4 while tapping your foot squarely on each beat.

FIGURE 3 further exemplifies the distinctions between 16th-note triplets and sextplets — by incorporating additional notes that dictate different phrasing patterns. We’re playing six evenly spaced notes per beat throughout, and it is the melodic contour that determines the note groupings within each beat and how they’re counted and beamed. In both bars, the first two beats feel like two groups of three (3 + 3), with an ascending chromatic row on each string. Beats 3 and 4 of bar 1 sound like three two-note groups (2 + 2 + 2), with two notes toggling back and forth. And, finally, beats 3 and 4 of bar 2 are straight descending sixes.