Rhythm Imitation: playing 16th note triplets

[pugmaster]

I've made it up to lesson 33 on Rhythm Imitation, but have encountered a brick wall with playing 16th note triplets on the computer keyboard. While I can play a simple 16th note triplet followed by an 8th note, I'm having troubles handling any other combination.

EarMaster defaults to a rhythm of 90 beats per ??. I'm thinking that it might be worthwhile to start at a lower speed (say 60 beats) and incrementally move up. This is the practice that I would normally follow when leading to play a difficult passage on an instrument. But since this is suppose to exercise rhythm imitation, I'm not sure if this approach works here. I believe that we're suppose to imitate and *feel* the rhythm. Although the rhythm is proportionally the same, we're not really experiencing the pace of the rhythm, which is the point of the exercise.

Appreciate any thoughts on this topic.

Thanks, Norman

[Quentin]

Hello Norman,

Instead of using the space bar, you could use the 2 CTRL buttons which would enable you to use both hands to play the rhtythm.

It is true that a progressive speed will definitely help with 16th note triplets. The tempo, as you mentioned, can be lowered manually to slower rates such as 60 bpm.

When using a MIDI drumpad, the triplets are really not that big a challenge any longer though

[pugmaster]

I would think that using both hands to play a 16th note triplet would be much more difficult as one of the most difficult aspects of playing a long triplet pattern is maintaining the evenness of the notes.

When entering a rhythmic pattern on a MIDI drumkit do you recommend using sticks or simply drumming it with your fingertips.

Thanks, Norman

[Quentin]

We have a Roland Handsonic that we use with EarMaster (we even made a preset to control the top buttons with the Handsonic ).

Hans prefers playing with both hands, while I personally plays triplets with one.

[Bob]

Can you recommend a less expensive option for a drum pad than the Roland Handsonic? I don't know that my keyboard will take indefinite drumming on the control key or spacebar, and I'd like to have a more accurate input.

Thanks.

We have a Roland Handsonic that we use with EarMaster (we even made a preset to control the top buttons with the Handsonic ).

Hans prefers playing with both hands, while I personally plays triplets with one.

[Quentin]

I guess the Nano Pad by Korg should work for rhythm exercises. I haven't tried it myself but saw it last week at the music fair in Frankfurt and that thing seems great.

It is a tiny MIDI controller with several drum/trigger pads that costs around US$70. It is connected to the computer via USB.

Otherwise I know Roland is making less expensive drumpads (comparing to the Handsonic series), but I doubt they can be used as MIDI controllers , which is requird to be used with EarMaster.

Please let us know if you find a cheaper alternative and how it works for you