Technique: sixteenth-note triplet + eighth

[Ethan Schwartz]

This particular figure seems to pop up everywhere, at least for up-beat tunes. I go back and forth between fingering it T-I-M-I and T-I-M-T depending on the situation and how nimble my fingers are feeling that day. Lately, I've been finding that the final eighth comes out a lot stronger/clearer (and it should be, as it falls on the beat) using the thumb, but this can be awkward if the thumb is needed immediately after on the 3rd, 4th, or 5th string.

How do you all approach it? Or am I the odd one out for liking T-I-M-T?

[Jody Stecher]

I also prefer the thumb for the final 8th note (quaver). When the next note needs to be played with the thumb and therefore  the 8th needs to be played with the index I find I can make the index stroke stronger by changing how I think about it. I conceive of the index followed by the thumb as being unified as a pair. Instead of index as one idea followed by thumb as new idea, index-thumb becomes its own thing. Not the clearest explanation but the best I can do this morning.

[Ethan Schwartz]

I understand what you mean, although I'm not sure it would work for me. It is certainly interesting how changing our thinking -- and what we train our attention on -- can lead to different results, even without doing anything different physically.

Jody Stecher said:

I also prefer the thumb for the final 8th note (quaver). When the next note needs to be played with the thumb and therefore  the 8th needs to be played with the index I find I can make the index stroke stronger by changing how I think about it. I conceive of the index followed by the thumb as being unified as a pair. Instead of index as one idea followed by thumb as new idea, index-thumb becomes its own thing. Not the clearest explanation but the best I can do this morning.

[Jody Stecher]

Yes, you understand.  

Ethan Schwartz said:

I understand what you mean, although I'm not sure it would work for me. It is certainly interesting how changing our thinking -- and what we train our attention on -- can lead to different results, even without doing anything different physically.

Jody Stecher said:

I also prefer the thumb for the final 8th note (quaver). When the next note needs to be played with the thumb and therefore  the 8th needs to be played with the index I find I can make the index stroke stronger by changing how I think about it. I conceive of the index followed by the thumb as being unified as a pair. Instead of index as one idea followed by thumb as new idea, index-thumb becomes its own thing. Not the clearest explanation but the best I can do this morning.

[IAN SALTER]

Ethan, could you provide the titles of a couple of tunes that have the figure? I don't know if you are referring to any four notes of different pitches, or the same note being repeated. Thanks.

[Richard William Ineson]

Grimshaw's 'An Evening Reverie' has got a few of these figures in it, also the last movement of Eno's 'March Glenside', where they are taken at a faster pace

IAN SALTER said:

Ethan, could you provide the titles of a couple of tunes that have the figure? I don't know if you are referring to any four notes of different pitches, or the same note being repeated. Thanks.

[Jody Stecher]

Ethan provided an example in the original post. It's an arpeggio of ascending pitches, generally the left hand fingers are holding down a chord position and the right hand plucks  strings  in sequence as a triplet (strings 3, 2 1) followed by string 1 again. . It is a characteristic feature of classic banjo style. This figure can be found in several places in "A Banjo Revel" for instance.

IAN SALTER said:

Ethan, could you provide the titles of a couple of tunes that have the figure? I don't know if you are referring to any four notes of different pitches, or the same note being repeated. Thanks.

[Joel Hooks]

If the question is about playing an 8th note chord followed by a triplet followed by two 8th notes... I mean, that is Bradbury's standard "lick" and he uses it to death in all of his arrangements and thorought his Mel Bay tutor.

When studying his tutor I try to always use his given fingering for any given phrase, the goal being muscle memory.  I can't say I have analysed every instance to see if there is context to change the way they are fingered for a given circumstance. 

[IAN SALTER]

Doh! I did not see that, so thank you for pointing it out Jody and also to Richard, thanks for the two examples.

[Richard William Ineson]

This is a very common motif in Morley's tunes, his fingering for it is X . .. .

IAN SALTER said:

Doh! I did not see that, so thank you for pointing it out Jody and also to Richard, thanks for the two examples.

[Jody Stecher]

Right. That's the usual annotated fingering. It's a bit of a surprise to me since Morley differs from most others in using the thumb on the 1st string.   I would have thought he'd indicate x .  ..  x  (TIMT)

Richard William Ineson said:

This is a very common motif in Morley's tunes, his fingering for it is X . .. .

IAN SALTER said:

Doh! I did not see that, so thank you for pointing it out Jody and also to Richard, thanks for the two examples.

[Richard William Ineson]

x . .. . starting with the thumb on the third string and finishing with the first finger on the first string.

Jody Stecher said:

Right. That's the usual annotated fingering. It's a bit of a surprise to me since Morley differs from most others in using the thumb on the 1st string.   I would have thought he'd indicate x .  ..  x  (TIMT)

Richard William Ineson said:

This is a very common motif in Morley's tunes, his fingering for it is X . .. .

IAN SALTER said:

Doh! I did not see that, so thank you for pointing it out Jody and also to Richard, thanks for the two examples.