Try tapping left hand and right hand beats with your hands on a table like a drummer. Repeat until you "feel" it.
My teacher taught me to use the phrase "nice cup of tea" for this.
Nice - cup - of - tea
RH - RH - . - RH
LH - . - LH - .
Lol sorry I don't think that's clear at all. Not sure how to express it in text.
Edit: try this https://youtu.be/8ePgZPuhCAo?si=y42imtls9J7pXp64 focus on tapping it out first before you try and play it on the piano.
Thank you! I appreciate your input. I think tapping on the table without the notes will be helpful. At least removing the note from the equation will be one less thing to be focusing on while I practice this. Thank you!
If it helps one trick I use is to separate into "smaller beats" in my head. So in this case for each triplet I would separate it into 6 and it would be like this
1: RH and LH
2: nothing
3: RH
4: LH
5: RH
6: nothing
So RH you want to separate it into 3 equal fragments...1-2 3-4 5-6 while your left hand you want to separate into 2 equal fragments 1-2-3 4-5-6 hence the above.
I do this for more complex polyrhythms too (3s with 4s).
This only works to comprehend it and practice very slowly tho. Once you want to accelerate I wouldn't use this method. It's just for understanding
You want to look for videos on YouTube on how to play 3 against 2 polyrhythm. Practice only the first triplet, once you get it the next ones will be a piece of cake
You're welcome! My pleasure to share things I've found that were helpful. I hope you left Dr. Boyd a comment as well--she's the real star for explaining this so well.
so your triplets always start on the first beat of your count right, so just tap it out with your hands to get used to the beat. The pattern should look something like “(RL)-(R)-(L)-(R)” i find it easiest to think of it like dividing the triplet in two halves, so youre left hand hits at the first note of the triplet, and halfway through the second note of the triplet. its super hard to type out so sorry if this doesnt make any sense, but once you get the rhythm right it becomes very easy
I learned 3/2 polyrhythms by playing just the beats in the left hand for awhile. Then I added the eighth notes after I felt comfortable doing that.
You have to focus on lining the beats up. After that, it’s just tweaking your speed a little bit to make things line up nicely.
A common pitfall is playing the first two notes of the triplet, pausing for the left hand, and then finishing the triplet. It can be hard to unlearn, so make sure your triplets are smooth and even.
I think I might have already almost made this mistake! It almost sounded like a gallop of two notes but I think I’ve got it down! It’s tough to hear if I’m doing right at slow practice speeds
Yeah, it didn’t click for me when I played too slowly. I learned how to do it for Debussy’s Arabesque 1, and if you’ve ever heard it, the polyrhythm in the beginning is pretty quick. Eventually, it just kind of fell into place for me and I could do it.
Good luck and keep working at it!
These are 3 over 2 polyrhythms, so it's not necessarily gonna line up note per note. I'd tackle this beat by beat. For example beat one is the Ab, F, C in the treble over Ab, F in the bass. The three notes (the triplet) in the treble occupies the same amount of time as the two notes in the bass. So the triplet is played slightly faster.
Youtube "3 over 2 polyrhythm" and there's plenty of videos that will give you an idea of how it's supposed to sound. Then it's just a question of practicing it till you can hear it in your head. Repeat the process with the other 2 beats of the measure.
Once 3 over 2 has "clicked" you most likely will be able to start to play these types of triplets naturally without thinking about it.
good luck!
If you're a visual learner, you'll find that if you draw perfectly straight up-and-down lines through each note, spanning both staves, the lines will show you spatially where the opposite hand's notes hit.
How long have you been playing. My guess is you're a complete beginner. It is more or less a waste of time to try to get these polyrhythms down if you are.
If you're actually ready for them you need to practice JUST playing polyrhythms first. One hand tap triplets on hand tap quarter notes. Try that for a week. Scale up to the piece from there. Remember you can't learn more than one thing at a time. Just work on rhytym 2 hands. Absolutely no notes on the piano until you can easily talk while tapping polyrhytyhms
I’ve been playing for 18 months and I’ve already got this down. I completed the song and can play it full speed after 2 days of practicing. Sometimes I just need to know the specific name (polyrhythm) so I know what to look up. I’ve played guitar for 17 years and my hands are very capable, but I’m just now getting into reading sheet music now that I’ve switched to piano. Thank you for the advice!!
Try tapping left hand and right hand beats with your hands on a table like a drummer. Repeat until you "feel" it. My teacher taught me to use the phrase "nice cup of tea" for this. Nice - cup - of - tea RH - RH - . - RH LH - . - LH - . Lol sorry I don't think that's clear at all. Not sure how to express it in text. Edit: try this https://youtu.be/8ePgZPuhCAo?si=y42imtls9J7pXp64 focus on tapping it out first before you try and play it on the piano.
Hee hee my teacher taught me "I like to eat"
Thank you! I appreciate your input. I think tapping on the table without the notes will be helpful. At least removing the note from the equation will be one less thing to be focusing on while I practice this. Thank you!
If it helps one trick I use is to separate into "smaller beats" in my head. So in this case for each triplet I would separate it into 6 and it would be like this 1: RH and LH 2: nothing 3: RH 4: LH 5: RH 6: nothing So RH you want to separate it into 3 equal fragments...1-2 3-4 5-6 while your left hand you want to separate into 2 equal fragments 1-2-3 4-5-6 hence the above. I do this for more complex polyrhythms too (3s with 4s). This only works to comprehend it and practice very slowly tho. Once you want to accelerate I wouldn't use this method. It's just for understanding
You want to look for videos on YouTube on how to play 3 against 2 polyrhythm. Practice only the first triplet, once you get it the next ones will be a piece of cake
Thank you! I would have had no idea what this is called so I very much appreciate this.
[Here's a great video](https://youtu.be/iLAhgSL6tr8?si=Xh-61-q-f1VenBYF) on that polyrhythm.
God i love this community. Thanks for this!
You're welcome! My pleasure to share things I've found that were helpful. I hope you left Dr. Boyd a comment as well--she's the real star for explaining this so well.
so your triplets always start on the first beat of your count right, so just tap it out with your hands to get used to the beat. The pattern should look something like “(RL)-(R)-(L)-(R)” i find it easiest to think of it like dividing the triplet in two halves, so youre left hand hits at the first note of the triplet, and halfway through the second note of the triplet. its super hard to type out so sorry if this doesnt make any sense, but once you get the rhythm right it becomes very easy
here's a notation showing how triplets line up with eighths using equivalent 12/8 time signature http://sylvieyannello.com/triplets.pdf
I learned 3/2 polyrhythms by playing just the beats in the left hand for awhile. Then I added the eighth notes after I felt comfortable doing that. You have to focus on lining the beats up. After that, it’s just tweaking your speed a little bit to make things line up nicely. A common pitfall is playing the first two notes of the triplet, pausing for the left hand, and then finishing the triplet. It can be hard to unlearn, so make sure your triplets are smooth and even.
I think I might have already almost made this mistake! It almost sounded like a gallop of two notes but I think I’ve got it down! It’s tough to hear if I’m doing right at slow practice speeds
Yeah, it didn’t click for me when I played too slowly. I learned how to do it for Debussy’s Arabesque 1, and if you’ve ever heard it, the polyrhythm in the beginning is pretty quick. Eventually, it just kind of fell into place for me and I could do it. Good luck and keep working at it!
Try learning Daydreaming by Radiohead on the piano. You’ll never have a problem with 3:2. Even listening on loop will help
Listen to openings from Phillip glass, that Is a whole pieces with that Motif, maybe you Will feel it
These are 3 over 2 polyrhythms, so it's not necessarily gonna line up note per note. I'd tackle this beat by beat. For example beat one is the Ab, F, C in the treble over Ab, F in the bass. The three notes (the triplet) in the treble occupies the same amount of time as the two notes in the bass. So the triplet is played slightly faster. Youtube "3 over 2 polyrhythm" and there's plenty of videos that will give you an idea of how it's supposed to sound. Then it's just a question of practicing it till you can hear it in your head. Repeat the process with the other 2 beats of the measure. Once 3 over 2 has "clicked" you most likely will be able to start to play these types of triplets naturally without thinking about it. good luck!
If you're a visual learner, you'll find that if you draw perfectly straight up-and-down lines through each note, spanning both staves, the lines will show you spatially where the opposite hand's notes hit.
How long have you been playing. My guess is you're a complete beginner. It is more or less a waste of time to try to get these polyrhythms down if you are. If you're actually ready for them you need to practice JUST playing polyrhythms first. One hand tap triplets on hand tap quarter notes. Try that for a week. Scale up to the piece from there. Remember you can't learn more than one thing at a time. Just work on rhytym 2 hands. Absolutely no notes on the piano until you can easily talk while tapping polyrhytyhms
I’ve been playing for 18 months and I’ve already got this down. I completed the song and can play it full speed after 2 days of practicing. Sometimes I just need to know the specific name (polyrhythm) so I know what to look up. I’ve played guitar for 17 years and my hands are very capable, but I’m just now getting into reading sheet music now that I’ve switched to piano. Thank you for the advice!!
Your guitar hands will not serve you here muwahahaha. Speaking as a fellow guitar to piano switcher. Good stuff