Counting sextuplets

[=^-..-^=]

Basic question: I know when counting a triplet out loud, it's either ONE tri-plet TWO tri-plet . . .or ONE and a TWO and a. . . but how do you count sextuplets out loud?

[Mike_L]

I never count sextuplets out loud. Rather, I focus on the rhythm of the right hand playing triplets.

Now, if I DID count it out loud, I would count it like: "ONE e and a and a TWO e and a and a......." and so on. I'm not sure if that's the most comment method, but it's easiest for me.

[EddieV]

I count them

1-a-lee -AND-a-lee
2-a-lee -AND-a-lee
3-a-lee -AND-a-lee
4-a-lee -AND-a-lee

[livewire80]

It's weird. For me it's whatever feels right in different parts of the song. 123456 at times and 1 and a 2 and a etc at other times. Like I said it's weird lol. Sometimes I find myself not counting at all

[SnareTan]

I either count every other note as a triplet and line that up on my right hand and just let the left follow.

OR, I count as eighth notes and remember that every third note will line up.

The hard part is to not accent what you are counting and keep them even.

Tan

[Doc_d]

I count 8th note triplets as "1-trip-let 2-trip-let..." .

I count 16th note triplets as "1-trip-let-and-trip-let 2-trip-let-and-trip-let..."

That makes it easy when they are broken such as an 8th note followed by 3 16th note triplets I'd just count it as "1 and-trip-let".

[Jemini]

1 and a 1 and a
2 and a 2 and a
3 and a 3 and a

or sing bu-gi-dah bu-gi-dah

after awhile you just feel it

you get the point

[trickg]

I'm a trumpet player so I think a triple tonguing pattern - ta ka ta - ta ka ta, etc

[Fifty]

I just think triplets. In other words, I "convert" the beat into triplets, and accent every other "measure." Meaning, I only accent every other first beat.

[Drumbledore]

Two ways I got shown how to count it without getting too tongue tied.

1) Count the strokes with the right hand as though you're playing one handed triplets: R R R...R R R (1 + a...2+a), then 'feel' the left strokes as off-beats of these, RLRLRL...RLRLRL. This is useful for when you go from sextuplets into 1/8th note triplets. I'm sure it is an old exercise that you would find in "Stick Control".

2) When you play the first RLR, instead of counting 1+a, count it all as '1', then when you play the LRL part of the sextuplet, count that as '+'.

RLR LRL
1....+

What you will find is that you'll feel an underlying straight eighth note pulse, which in turn will make mixing sextuplets and straight 1/16's (1e+a, 2e+a) a lot easier. So when you see RLRLRL, RLRLRL, RLRL, RLRL, all you have to do is count it as 1+ 2+ 3e+a 4e+a, bearing in mind that each 'half' of a straight 1/16th note group will feel 'a third of the speed' decelerated in comparison to each 'half' of the sextuplet. This by the way is what would also happen if you were playing 1/8th note triplets going into straight 1/8th's.

[Redeye]

I always vocalize "dig-a-duh dig-a-duh" or "big-a-duh". That seems to work for drumline purposes, especially if it's fairly quick. If it's a tenor (quads) or bass drum part, I'll sing the drum pitches.

[trickg]

I always vocalize "dig-a-duh dig-a-duh" or "big-a-duh". That seems to work for drumline purposes, especially if it's fairly quick. If it's a tenor (quads) or bass drum part, I'll sing the drum pitches.

That's a variation of the tonguing pattern a trumpet player would use. "Ta-ka-ta ta-ka-ta" is essentially the same thing, except the syllables are a bit sharper.

[xweasel]

I count them like BAdabadabada BAdabadabada. lol

[dt344]

I'm a fan of counting triplets with a "ta" sound, because it's easier to say quickly without losing your breath, so an eighth note triplet would be counted "One-ta-ta Two-ta-ta", etc. So, a sextuplet, aka a sixteenth note triplet, is a triplet that takes up one eighth note's space so I would count it "One-ta-ta And-ta-ta Two-ta-ta And-ta-ta", etc. That way I can keep my place in the bar.