Write a song that features tuplets | Songwriting Club

A tuplet refers to any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from what’s typically permitted by the time signature.

Most of us already use duplets and quadruplets (divisions of two and four) in our music, and you might already be familiar with triplets (three evenly-spaced notes per beat) too. I love using less common tuplets in my music like quintuplets (five evenly-spaced notes per beat) and sextuplets (six evenly-spaced notes per beat).

This week, let’s experiment with our rhythms and write a song that incorporates tuplets, whether they’re triplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, or something else.

As an example, in the song “Sincerely Yours” off of my new EP with vocalist Maryasque, I used a piano sample that features a sextuplet rhythm. Listen to how there are six notes per beat, and how that feel carries the energy throughout the track.

Although it’s not a requirement, if you used a sound you found on Splice Sounds, let us know! If you want to use Splice Sounds in your song but don’t have an account, get your first month free with the code songwriting.

If you’re feeling proud of your tune or you’re looking for some feedback, upload it to the Splice community, SoundCloud, YouTube, Bandcamp, etc., and toss the link in the comments below. Before you share, just make sure you’re following these guidelines:

  1. Make sure your track aligns with the prompt – it should be something that you’ve specifically written in response to this blog post.
  2. No promotional posts – no links to contests, social media pages, etc.
  3. Comment on at least one other person’s song before you go – even if it seems small to you, your praise or critique can make a transformative impact on someone else’s craft.
  4. Give a quick summary of your goals for your song – asking for feedback on specific aspects (ex. the lyrics, chord progression, etc.) is also recommended!

Check back in for your next prompt on June 26th. We’re looking forward to hearing what you create!

June 12, 2020

Nick Chen Content Marketing @ Splice. Nick Chen is a producer, performer, and educator under the aliases "nickthechen" and "Enix."