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Duplet (?) timing???

Hi NWC Forum,

I have followed all the posts on duplets, n-tuplets etc., but could still use some help with the following situation.

I have a choral piece that switches to 9/8 time signature, then has what I am assuming to be duplets in some of the measures, they look like eighth notes with the numeral 2 above them.

I have been away from music 20 years, memory fades... I have no idea how this should be counted. I need to learn to sing the piece for a concert, and I would like to enter some of these passages into NWC to help me with the timing. But since NWC doesn't support anything but triplets, how????

I am only interested in hearing the music played with the correct timing, I don't care what the score looks like. Can anyone help? At the minimum, how should this be counted? I can always go the "low-tech" (metronome) route to learn it, if I have to! : >

Thanks as always for any help. Great forum, I've remembered (and learned) so much here!

Sue

Re: Duplet (?) timing???

Reply #1 –
Sue,
I am e-mailing a NWC file which may help.

Richard

Re: Duplet (?) timing???

Reply #2 –
Sue,
Yes, you're looking at duplets - 2 notes in the time of 3.
I can't "tell you" how to count them, except by subdividing
into semiquavers (16th notes). Each note in the duplet will be the same duration as 3 semiquavers (16ths).

Since the time signature is 9/8 you don't really have "triplets" in the normal sense, the natural grouping
is 3. A triplet only makes sense when you want 3 notes in
the time usually taken by 2.

So, there are 2 ways I can think of to write this. First will look really ugly - notate in 9/8 and replace each duplet with a quaver tied to a semiquaver (8th to 16th).

The other possibility is to change the time signature to
3/4 and write each group of 3 quavers (8th) as a "real" triplet. Your duplet notes are then written as quavers (8th). This will look closer to the "correct" score, the
only difference is the duplets won't have "2" above them end
each group of 3 will have "3" above it. The down side, is you may have to think harder about exactly how to notate
more complex rhythms than just straight quavers.

Re: Duplet (?) timing???

Reply #3 –
Sue, the way I would count it is to think of it as 3/4 like John suggests, then the 9/8 would be counted as

one-and-ah two-and-ah three-and-ah...

When counting the dupletted notes (let's say the duplet is on the 3rd beat, in 3/4 time) it would sound a bit like

one-and-ah two-and-ah THREE-AND

Do follow your own suggestion and try this with a metronome or click track, set slow to start (around 60).

This may not be technically correct, but it might help.

F

Re: Duplet (?) timing???

Reply #4 –
John suggests "First will look really ugly - notate in 9/8 and replace each duplet with a quaver tied to a semiquaver (8th to 16th)."

Or you can just use two dotted quavers (eighth notes) for the duplet. In fact, if you then bar them together, put a text "2" above them (insert text before the first one and pad with spaces - otherwise you'll break the bar), then all you'd need to do would be to white-out the dots, and you'd have a perfect looking (and sounding) duplet!

A

Re: Duplet (?) timing???

Reply #5 –
I count it "diddledee diddledee diddledee DahDah diddledee" etc, with each word taking the same length of time. It helps sometimes to think of it the other way round; that the time signature is really 2/4 and the diddledees are triplets. Then duplets are just ordinary quavers.

Re: Duplet (?) timing???

Reply #6 –
The easiest way to do a duplet in a compound time signature (triplet feel) is just to select them and dot the notes (gives them time and a half).
 

Re: Duplet (?) timing???

Reply #7 –
Thanks to all of you for responding! Richard was the first to respond with the missing info... 2 notes in the time of 3 was the part I could not remember!

Actually, after I had made this post, I remembered that 9/8 time is the same as counting "3" beats in a measure (and counting the original 8th notes as triplets)... that turns my duplets into normally-timed 8th notes, 2 per beat -- quite easy to sing as long as I ignore the triplets in the accompaniment!

Thanks to all for the additional lessons on how to switch between triplets and duplets -- fortunately, I already have that part down, I just couldn't remember what timing duplets occupy...! But I am printing off all the answers as there are folk in my choir that do not know how this works and have trouble switching. You all have provided a great tutorial for these people!

Thanks for the good wishes on my concert, "MAD Marsu", it is a lovely piece written by Aaron Copeland for Thanksgiving. We have a "round-table" of all of our churches in the area on "Thanksgiving Eve", and this will be my contribution.

Happy NWC-ing, thanks for all the help,

Sue