eigthth note triplet strum

Both methods work. Hard to explain, but sometimes you need the upstroke to keep time, other times you can easily sense it and just play two downstrokes. Sometimes when first practicing a piece I need the upstroke motion. But after I get the feel or pulse I can usually play it with only downstrokes. But that is me, others may be different.

Practice both methods. :D

That depends on the strumming you're using.

If you're using D-U-D-D-U-D (starting every triplet with a down stroke) you pause; if you're using D-U-D-U-D-U (alternating every stroke whether it's on a beat or not) you miss the strings.

hello all

I have to tell you that learning to play triplets with alternate picking it is quite difficult for me. That's quite strange since I have no big trouble in playing them with downstrums only or in a shuffle-way (missing the 2nd downstrum) and I even get them if I play with arpeggios (thumb, ring, medium). Of course it would be extremly useful to learn them with alternate picking since it is limitative to play them with downstrums only (I can do it only with quite slow blues). Maybe that's why it is not natural for me to start to play on the beat with an upstroke so I should train myslef to play upstrums on the beat and downstrums on the off-beat... who knows...any suggestions?

thanks in adavance

Matteo

You can also accent the first beat per triplet to help keep time and to also bring out the fact that you are playing triplets.

That depends on the strumming you're using.

If you're using D-U-D-D-U-D (starting every triplet with a down stroke) you pause; if you're using D-U-D-U-D-U (alternating every stroke whether it's on a beat or not) you miss the strings.

Isn't that backwards? With D-U-D you have your next strum as a down, so you would have to bring your pick back up to the start point without playing again.

No, it's not backwards. That pattern puts a downstroke on every beat.

In both cases you need to bring the pick back to the starting point, but if you start each triplet with a downstroke, you don't think of it as a 'missed' strum - you're speeding up the pattern at that point.

In the alternating strum pattern, you'd miss the strum while keeping a steady motion with the picking hand.

I interpet it as if you play D U D U D U etc you would play a triplet with a pause as D U D (pause) U D U (pause) etc and if you played it D U D D U D it would be D U D (miss) D U D (miss).

I've read what you wrote in the original post here many times, and it seems backwards to me. In fact, I'm absolutely positive

It's not backwards.

The original question is about 'silent strokes' during triplets. So consider the motions for various parts of the triplet missing...

Original pattern: D-U-D D-U-D (each triplet starts with a downstroke)

I said you'd pause during that pattern.
With a count of one-trip-let you have three possibilities:

(miss)-trip-let = (pause)-up-down-(pause)-up-down
one-(miss)-let = down-(pause)-up-down-(pause)-up
one-trip-(miss) = down-up-(pause)-down-up-(pause)

The reason you'd play a D-U-D pattern in the first place is to emphasize the beats, so you still want downstrokes on the count. And since playing a D-U-D-D-U-D triplet pattern requires a change in hand speed in the first place - your hand is making the motion of a two-eighths-and-two-sixteenths triplet figure - it's easy to pause, since your strumming hand isn't doing a steady pattern to begin with.

The other choice for original pattern is all alternate strokes: D-U-D U-D-U

For that pattern I said you'd miss the strings.

(miss)-trip-let = (miss)-up-down-(miss)-down-up
one-(miss)-let = down-(miss)-down-up-(miss)-up
one-trip-(miss) = down-up-(miss)-up-down-(miss)

The reason you'd do triplet strums with alternating strokes is to maintain a steady rhythm with your strumming hand. This is the easiest pattern for beginners to do, and with your hand keeping a steady rhythm... well, you want it to continue doing it. You do that by keeping the stroke, but missing the strings.

Still absolutely positive I have it backwards? :)

Let's call it even since I think we both missed a point here, the original question is if you were playing down strums, do you pause, or do you play that strum to keep rhythm, to that I can say with total confidense I pause, I have tried the make the motion but don't hit the strings and it throws me off where if I strum and then hold my position and strum some more I do fine.

I think your last post elaborated to why it seems so crazy, I'm thinking of triplet in the sense he's strumming three times with a pause, and you are assuming he's strumming twice with a pause? I consider you an authority noteboat so hopefully you don't feel I'm attacking you, I just think there is something some confusion here.

I didn't interpret it as all downstrokes (DDD-DDD) because of the phrase "miss the strings like a standard eighth note strum"... missing strings is a standard way to strum syncopated eighth notes without losing your timing - so I figured he wanted to miss part of a triplet on a downstroke.

If it's all downstrokes it doesn't matter if it's a pause or a missed stroke as long as the count stays steady.