Tuplet

A tuplet is any group of notes whose number does not match the normal division of the beat. The ratio shows the group. A triplet is 3:2, three notes in the time of two, and a quintuplet is 5:4, five notes in the time of four. Sixteenth-note quintuplets are common: five notes fill the space of four regular sixteenths, which is one beat. Sextuplets, six notes in the time of four, are another frequent case. A tuplet is written with a bracket and a figure, and the figure gives the number of notes in the group. The notes inside the tuplet are shortened by the ratio, while the rest of the bar keeps its usual division, so the count has to track both.

Related terms

• TripletThree notes played in the time of two notes of the same value, marked with a figure 3 over the group.
• SubdivisionDividing a beat into smaller equal parts, such as two eighth notes or four sixteenths, so the rhythm can be counted exactly.
• PolyrhythmTwo or more rhythms with different numbers of beats sounding at once in the same time span, such as three notes against two.
• MeterThe repeating pattern of strong and weak beats that groups the pulse into bars, shown by a time signature such as 3/4.