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I've just started trying to put triplets into some of the songs I'm learning and I'm just really clumsy.
My first challenge was in my head; reading the notes that quickly, but I soon overcame that because I realized most triplets are just 3 sequential notes (right next to each other), so it's now pretty simple for me to recognize the first note and know I've got to play the next two notes that immediately follow, as quickly and distinctly as I can....
That's now my challenge,,, with 57 yr old fingers, "as quickly and distinctly as I can" is my challenge. For the past two days, whenever I drive, I practice triplet finger movement on my steering wheel, until my hand gets fatigued (oh you know there's a joke there, ala Seinfeld, haaaaaaa).
My problem seems to be that my second & third fingers want to go down at nearly the same time (not much distinction). I have a great reverse trip; 3-2-1,,, it's my 1-2-3 that is jacked up.
But, similar to Naska's "squish the bug" technique of limbering for vibrato,,, do you know of any effective techniques to get "quickly and distinctly"??? Are there any great tips for playing triplets???
Honorary tenured advisor
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Hey Fred! Try exercising in guitar position to see if that helps. Old fingers I know no solution to, I have the same problem.
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I'll give that a try too Tony, thanks; I feel like the Tin Man,,, hey, maybe that's it, but my oil can might better be a can of Bud Light, lmao! I probably should try triplets after a little libation! At least I'll sound good,,, to me, haaaaa!
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Well, if you *just* started using triplets, you may need to give yourself a little time and practice to get smooth/correct at it. Often what seems difficult when we first start it becomes easy after a few days or a couple weeks.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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I remember that when I first learned triplets on guitar, my teacher told me to say to myself "trip-e-let" as I play them. I still do that. Seems to help.
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
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When playing triplets you need to focus on down - up, on the beats.
IOW - Down up down Up down up Down up down Up down up
Time your fingers with the beat as well. Sometimes if you have trouble with fingering you focus on the bowing and it works better.
Triplets in themselves shouldn't be too much trouble if not for speed. Slow it down to a tempo that you can handle and speed it up later.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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trip-e-let, trip-e-let, trip-e-let,,,, I'll remember that Diane and try it.
FM said, "When playing triplets you need to focus on down – up, on the beats.
IOW – Down up down Up down up Down up down Up down up
Time your fingers with the beat as well. Sometimes if you have trouble with fingering you focus on the bowing and it works better."
FM - I wish I knew what that meant because I know it would be useful..... and I am starting out at a slower tempo and repetitively picking up speed until it's where it needs to be. That does help. My fingers just feel so GD stiff!
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i just want to make sure I understand exactly what a triplet is. Is it for example
Honorary advisor
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When you play triplets is the spacing always even ? In other words the way I understand it a triplet is a grouping of 3 notes played in the same time interval that I would play one note ? (or maybe two) ??? I am a bit confused. For example I play a triplet I move my bow "up-down-up" and each note in the triplet I give the same length. Oui ? Non ? Or can there be a case of triplet where all 3 notes are not equal length ?? Am I making sense ? I am making myself more confused ... LOL
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Right Crazymotive. A triplet consists of 3 notes played evenly. 3 eighth note triples = 1 quarter note. 3 quarter note triplets = a half note but they are still even.
Eojo2, what you wrote is a quarter note followed by two 16th notes.
Fred 
in order to play separate triplets you need to play down bow, up bow, down bow then the next triplets would naturally start on an up bow = up bow, down bow, up bow.
So you should only concentrate on the first beat of the three. That would automatically be down - up - down - up..........
I bet I just confused you more. ROFL
I'm assuming that these triplets you are talking about have different notes and seperate bows but if not, it's a different ballgame 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Pierre, I'm not sure that I'm talking about the same thing then. The ones I'm trying to play (see them on the music below) are ALL sequentially higher and I'm playing them all slurred and all need to be fast (like an accent). For some reason I thought all triplets were slurred and not individual bow strokes.
I've been working hours on them and I think I'm finally getting them (most of the time), sometimes they come out as two notes (1-23, instead of 1-2-3) but often times three.
FM, now that I know you're talking about bow strokes (up/down) what you've said makes perfect sense to me, if I was playing each note as a separate stroke. I was talking about my left hand problems though. So your explanation is sort of like the bowing pattern of a shuffle except uniformly played.
I'm going to trying what you said too in case I run across triplets that are not slurred. Or maybe I'm just playing these trips incorrectly, maybe they're all supposed to be played as separate strokes, but whenever I hear the song played, they are slurred.
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Yep. This is completely different. I thought you were referring to sequential separate triplets. That is usually what people have trouble with.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Thanks Pierre!!!!!!!!! Haaaaaaaa!!!!!!! Yeah, I WILL have trouble with this TOO!!!!!!
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Hello
I think you could do with a few concentrated triplet exercises.
Click here :
http://www.el-atril.com/partit....._Book1.pdf
...and go to No. 5, and concentrate on just playing the first line. Play with separate bows, then slur 3 notes at a time
Don't be daunted by a classical exercise book - this is a killer when it comes to mastering triplets, and it's not difficult once you home in on it.
You can trust me on this one. It will help you
Mr Jim 
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