# 32nds, 64ths...128ths



## ifiwereu

What is your personal technique for playing 3nds, 64ths, furthermore ..ggrrrr...128ths?


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## Phil loves classical

ifiwereu said:


> What is your personal technique for playing 3nds, 64ths, furthermore ..ggrrrr...128ths?


Played 32nds with a lot of practice. Never tried the others.


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## Bettina

I'm not sure if I've ever seen 128ths. Maybe in the "grave" section of Beethoven's Pathetique sonata?


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## Phil loves classical

Bettina said:


> I'm not sure if I've ever seen 128ths. Maybe in the "grave" section of Beethoven's Pathetique sonata?


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_twenty-eighth_note


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## Zellibrung

Is this referring to literally playing it on a instrument, or something else? I know at least with strings there are some tremolo techniques for that kind of thing.


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## isorhythm

I don't really understand the question but this thread did send me to the Wikipedia page on 128th notes, which I found to be full of lies.

Specifically, Beethoven's Pathetique is said to use 128th notes, but the example given is of 128th note triplets - which is to say, 96th notes.

Are there any common practice-era uses of true 128th notes? I'm curious now.


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## BabyGiraffe

128th can be played without sounding awkward, if the tempo is around... 10bpm.


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## isorhythm

isorhythm said:


> I don't really understand the question but this thread did send me to the Wikipedia page on 128th notes, which I found to be full of lies.
> 
> Specifically, Beethoven's Pathetique is said to use 128th notes, but the example given is of 128th note triplets - which is to say, 96th notes.
> 
> Are there any common practice-era uses of true 128th notes? I'm curious now.


Dangers of posting while sleep deprived - I did this math backwards. Those are 192nd notes.


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## Jacred

BabyGiraffe said:


> 128th can be played without sounding awkward, if the tempo is around... 10bpm.


Yeah, the note duration is all relative to the tempo. During slower movements, you tend to have shorter notes too because 1) they are playable at the given tempo and 2) they allow the composer to create faster runs within the slow movement.


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## Heck148

ifiwereu said:


> What is your personal technique for playing 3[2]nds, 64ths, furthermore ..ggrrrr...128ths?


It all depends on the tempo, and the unit of beat...the audience has no way of knowing what the printed note values are....only the rapidity of the notes being played by the performer. for such note values - it is almost mandatory that the sub-division must be kept, and that these note values will be shorter than the 1/4 note.

32nd or 64th notes played at a slow tempo -1/4 note/minute may be played quite easily, if the sub-division is kept constant.

I posted on another thread - Borodin Sym #2/II has the meter signature: 1/1 - IOW a whole note gets a beat, one beat per measure - and it is FAST....1/4 notes are like 16th notes in fast 4/4...
but, again - the audience has no idea what the printed note values are.


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## Zellibrung

Heck148 said:


> It all depends on the tempo, and the unit of beat...the audience has no way of knowing what the printed note values are....only the rapidity of the notes being played by the performer. for such note values - it is almost mandatory that the sub-division must be kept, and that these note values will be shorter than the 1/4 note.
> 
> 32nd or 64th notes played at a slow tempo -1/4 note/minute may be played quite easily, if the sub-division is kept constant.
> 
> I posted on another thread - Borodin Sym #2/II has the meter signature: 1/1 - IOW a whole note gets a beat, one beat per measure - and it is FAST....1/4 notes are like 16th notes in fast 4/4...
> but, again - the audience has no idea what the printed note values are.


Surely he's referring to 64th and 128th notes at a common tempo, like 120 BPM. While it's worth mentioning that the OP's question(and thus understanding) might not be completely correct, it certainly seems like the original intent of the question was more or less "how do you play a series of notes very fast".


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## Heck148

Zellibrung said:


> Surely he's referring to 64th and 128th notes at a common tempo, like 120 BPM. While it's worth mentioning that the OP's question(and thus understanding) might not be completely correct, it certainly seems like the original intent of the question was more or less "how do you play a series of notes very fast".


That was certainly not presented in the OP.....if the question is...how do you play fast??
then the answer is - methodical practice and ready facility of scales and chords, and -

for specific passages - slow practice, correct hand position, exploration and use of appropriate alternate fingerings, if indicated.
it matters little what the printed note values might be.


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## Larkenfield

Speaking as a former clarinetist, I suggest that one hear the rhythms in one's head first before trying to play it on the instrument. And of course it also depends upon the tempo of that particular passage, not to mention that it's also possible to slow down a particular passage when one is practicing in order to get a feel for it.


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