Is there a name for triplets which are not sequential? What I mean is that instead of playing, for instance, ABC triplet (where one note follows the other), you could play ABD or GAC or even FAD.
I think I’ve heard Paddy Keenan play triplets which, when I slow down the recording, sound like they are not sequential. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone else playing triplets like that and I find it difficult to do myself.
I think I’ve always heard all versions referred to generically as “triplets,” but it’s sequential version that gets special designation: I was taught to call that “a triplet run” as the notes run sequentially up or down the scale.
see also “backstitching”, which covers certain types of non-sequential triplet runs, among other things… your examples would mostly not fall into that category but other “non-sequential” triplets (for instance where the “direction” of the run is not monotonically increasing or decreasing) would. The topic, and various convoluted definitions, comes up here from time to time.
The general idea would be to play a triplet in the scale. I catch myself playing a “a c# d” or an “e g a” every once in a while particularly in tunes that linger around a.
Patrick.
Interesting, I just hauled out the ol’ DMWC book which has a chart of Willie’s tight triplets in order of frequency, which are:
F#GA
F#GF#
BC#D
BC#B
Note that all involve “neighbor tones”.
I’ve seen BC#A used quite a bit by various pipers, and F#GE (both are the same sequence of fingers middle/index/ring).
Patsy Touhey didn’t do the rising sequencial F#GA triplet but instead played GF#A (which sequence also formed his crans and some of his backstitching).
So … no FAF or BdB or ege triplets?
That would be a relief. I use them on the whistle but trying to get them on the chanter has been a resounding failure thus far.
Oh I’m sure that at some time or other some piper has played every triplet possible!
The tight triplets with an interval of a 3rd in them are pretty common, aren’t they? AC#A and ege anyhow.
Andy Conroy probably tried most of them. I remember hearing that he used to take his chanter to bed with him and stayed up for hours training his fingers to do all the triplets he could think of.
It’s also pretty common to hear doubled “triplets” where the first two notes are identical.
I believe bc#E triplets have yet to be mentioned. I find those sound nice in some places.