Moving a triplet accent phrase

This is a really helpful exercise for getting familiar with placing accents and, eventually, phrases in different places in the bar. All we are doing is taking a simple triplet figure with the accent on the last note of the triplet and shifting it backwards and then forwards by a triplet beat each time. Each placement creates different musical tension and interest.

Practice procedure:

1. Play only the figure on the snare drum with the feet keeping time and counting. Repeating as a one-bar phrase is enough. Just make sure you bring out the accent. Practice with different sticking variants: RLR / LRL / RRL / LLR
2. Still playing only the figure and counting, move the accents to the toms. Next, play the accent on the snare but the other notes on the toms. Play the accent on the cymbal and add a bass drum.
3. Play the unaccented notes as double strokes, creating a five-stroke roll. Play the accent on the snare, then the toms, then the cymbal with the bass drum.
4. Place the figure into jazz time. Start with a one-bar phrase, then a two-bar phrase and then a four-bar phrase. Experiment with all the variations explored in 1 - 3.

You will find some of the placements easier than others; accented the middle of the triplet can be particularly tricky.

Playing the figure over the bar line, into and on beat one, can also be difficult but it opens up some very interesting phrasing.

There is a lot of musicality in this kind of exercise, spend time with it and you will reap many benefits. Later, you can use the accents as ending points for longer phrases in time playing and soloing.

Have fun. Make Music.