3 Essential Quarter Note Triplet Comping Patterns

Mastering quarter note triplets can be quite tricky, but once you've got it, it will open up some polyrhythms and interesting phrases.

This set of exercises takes a quarter note triplet and gives you 3 essential ways to phrase it between the snare drum and the bass drum. This is similar to John Riley's Headroom triplets but applied at a different rate.

All these patterns should be played under a steady jazz time in the ride cymbal with the hi-hat on 2 & 4.

If you look at A and A1, you will notice that it is the same pattern but starting in different places. All quarter note triplet patterns start in two positions: on the downbeat [A], and on the middle beat of the triplet, [A1].

Exercise A/A1, is basically singles starting on the snare drum.

Exercise B/B1, is the same starting on the bass drum

Exercise C, is doubles between the snare and bass drum (the second position [C1] is in the PDF). You need to practice this starting from the second bar as well.

Exercise D/D1 (in the PDF) takes a paradiddle sticking which comes out as a four-bar phrase. You need to practice this starting on each of the four bars.

Start it slow. Get it really comfortable and then work up the tempo.

Experiment with voicing the snare drum part with buzzes and around the kit.

Finally, you can try replacing the bass drum part with the hi-hat.

Have fun. Make music.