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20.4: Compound Meter Super Duplets

  • Page ID
    258602
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    Duplets vs. Super Duplets in Compound Meter

    As in simple meter, in compound meter duplets occur when we have two even sounds on a beat. In compound meter, these are borrowed from simple meter and we temporarily consider two even sounds on each beat instead of three even sounds on each beat. As we saw with simple meter, super (compound) duplets take two sounds and cover three beats. The easiest way to think about these is to break them into the same smaller pieces as we have done previously to help visualize and hear where these sounds occur.

    If we break a measure of compound triple meter into duplets on each beat, we can more easily line up where the super duplet will sound.

    Lower staff has three beats of duplets in 9/8. Upper line has compound duplet of dotted quarter notes. Lines show overlap

    In this graphic, you can see the three pairs of duplets that subdivide each of these beats. The dotted quarter note duplet on the upper staff (super duplet) lines up and sounds on every third eighth note.

    Counting

    If we are to count this example out loud, the most accurate performance of the super duplet will be to count the subdivision of the borrowed eighth notes. Counting each half beat, we would say, "1-and 2-and 3-and." In this case, we would clap or tap on "1," and "and" (of 2). We might think of this as "1 and 2 and 3 and."

    Lower staff has three beats of duplets in 9/8. Upper line has compound duplet of dotted quarter notes with counts


    This page titled 20.4: Compound Meter Super Duplets is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lauren C. Sharkey.