Introduction

Quintuplets and Septuplets

In this chapter, we explore quintuplets and septuplets, both at the level of the beat and at larger levels spanning multiple beats. We also explore the direct superposition of quintuplets and septuplets against other divisions and groups of beats.

Unlike, say, quadruplets and sextuplets, which can be constructed as subdivisions of duplets and triplets, quintuplets and septuplets at the beat level cannot function as subdivisions of anything other than the full beat. This means that they must be learned as-is, so to speak, as a five-way and seven-way division of the beat.

A good way to begin with quintuplets is captured by the passage below. Start with a four-way division of the beat and work up to a five-way division by squeezing in an extra division and shortening the other divisions. Repeat this several times until the quintuplets are strictly even.

Introductory Exercise: Aaron Copland, As It Fell Upon A Day for Soprano, Flute, and Clarinet

Then, try the same thing with a six-way division of the beat but working backwards. Subtract out one division and elongate the other divisions. Repeat this several times until the quintuplets are strictly even.

Finally, try moving up from a four-way division, through a five-way division, to a six-way division, and then back. Repeat this several times, ensuring that the quintuplets are strictly even.

The same process can be practiced for septuplets, working up from a six-way division of the beat and down from an eight-way division of the beat.

Once these introductory steps are mastered, the next step is to intermix different divisions of the beat in a less predictable manner. This is what the first few exercises Sections A and C aim to accomplish. Once they are mastered, beat-level quintuplets and septuplets should feel like a stable division of the beat, just like triplets and quadruplets.