How to play this triplet?

Question

how can I play this triplet hands together? Time signature in this piece is 4/4.

Answer 1

It's a 3 over 4 polyrhythm. I.e.

• during the time period of two quarternotes
• the upper voice plays 3 notes
• while the lower voice plays 4 notes
• both end up at the same point in time (time division).

To count this polyrhythm swith to a "faster" clock which divides this quarternote into 3*4=12 equal pats and count like this:

clk  up  low   
 1   1   1
 2   .   .
 3   .   .
 4   .   2
 5   2   .
 6   .   .
 7   .   3
 8   .   .
 9   3   .
10  .   4
11  .   .
12  .   .

I.e.

• while coounting 1 to 12 (!)
• you play the upper voice at 1, 5 and 9
• the lower voice at 1, 4, 7 and 10.

Practice slowly first, to get a feel for the sound of these two rhythms. Next increase your metronome speed gradually.

Answer 2

By counting treble and bass clef dots, the r.h. As play at the same time as the l.h. B♮. Exactly on beat 3. Then as it's printed, the l.h. G comes before the r.h. Gs. Followed by the l.h. D, then the r.h. Fs. Last of all is the l.h. G.

Get used to playing all the quavers in l.h. equally, by themselves. Then get used to playing the r.h. notes in their proper timing - triplets isn't too difficult.

Then try putting the two together. If you know someone who can play piano, you could enlist their help, and play one hand each, together, to hear what it's going to sound like.

If it's the octaves that concern you, just play the top (larger head) notes, until the timing is ingrained, then stretch your hand to an octave between thumb and pinky, and articulate from the r.h. wrist, to play octaves A, G and F.

Not asked about - but the r.h. Fs before the triplet are played not exactly as writ - they should be simultaneous with the l.h. G.