About This Chapter: In Chapters 10 and 11, we explored triplets, sextuplets, duplets, and quadruplets. These are all borrowed divisions—simple meter divisions borrowed into compound meter or compound meter divisions borrowed into simple meter. Borrowed divisions are actually a subset of a broader category, irregular divisions. Irregular divisions are rhythms that divide the beat into some number of parts that isn’t part of the normal metrical grid. In this chapter, we’ll explore two irregular divisions—quintuplets and septuplets—that aren’t borrowed.

To get a feel for the speed of the five evenly spaced notes of quintuplets and the seven evenly spaced notes of septuplets, it may be helpful to experiment with all of the evenly spaced divisions we’ve encountered so far. Try performing this example with a metronome keeping a steady pulse. Feel the evenly spaced notes compress during the first line as we fit more attacks into each successive beat. In the second line, feel the evenly spaced notes expand as we fit less notes into each successive beat.

Rhythmic Syllables: Quintuplets divide the beat into five equal parts. It may be helpful to choose a five-syllable word to speak when performing quintuplets. Some examples (shown below) are “university,” “opportunity,” and “hippopotamus.” Just make sure that as you’re speaking these words—or whatever five-syllable word you choose!—you’re saying them as robotically as possible to make sure that the notes are all evenly spaced.

Septuplets divide the beat into seven equal parts. Again, it may be helpful to use a word (or phrase) to speak when performing septuplets. Some examples (shown below) are “Baylor University,” “golden opportunity,” and “purple hippopotamus.”

Notation: How do you know which note values to use for a quintuplet or septuplet? When dividing a beat into 5 equal parts or 7 equal parts, we want to use the rhythmic value of the closest normal division below the number of irregular divisions. If we’re in simple meter, both the quintuplet and septuplet will use the rhythmic value that divides the beat into 4 parts, as in the examples above. In compound meter, the quintuplet will use the rhythmic value that divides the beat into 3 parts and the septuplet will use the rhythmic value that divides the beat into 6 parts, as in the figure below.