In this article we’re going to cover how to feel quintuplets using an Indian counting system. There are many different variations, but the syllables I like to use are ta, ka, din, ah, and gah, which are easy to pronounce and can be strung together very quickly once you’re comfortable with them. Start without using a metronome and put emphasis on the first syllable, ta, as it’s landing on the quarter-note pulse. This is the most important note of the quintuplet, so if you don’t have that landing solidly on the pulse, nothing you do is going to feel solid. Now turn on your metronome and set it at a slow tempo. Don’t worry about speed; precision is key. Play along with your quintuplet counting, using alternating single strokes. Before we move on to the variations, it’s important to be able to play all of the examples into and out […]

February 2013 Issue