TRIANGLE 101: A Beginner's Guide to Playing this Percussive Wonder

In this video I'll show you how to play the triangle. We will explore the fundamentals of technique, and 2 really funky patterns that will get you playing along to the music in no time!
🎶 Download the free practice tracks I've created for this tutorial below:
www.RuairiGlasheen.net/triangle
This is the triangle I am using in this video:
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🥁 I’m Ruairi Glasheen, and I’m a percussionist, composer and filmmaker based in London.
⦁ More about me: www.RuairiGlasheen.net/about
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[@IgnacDvorsky]

I love how you give such a underrated, and humiliated instrument such as triangle so much love! 😄😍🥰

[@conceptSde]

So nice to see that you pay attention to this underrated and underestimated percussion instrument. I don't know how the situation is abroad, here in Germany the triangle is considered to be the instrument of choice for people and kids without any musical talent. The phrase "triangle player" even is used for these kind of humans - even if they don't play an instrument at all.

[@richarquis]

I work as a kindergarten teacher in Korea, and I just got a triangle from the toy department of the local supermarket tonight, as as "Pay attention to the teacher!" kind of device. Having watched a video of triangle technique on YT just a few weeks ago though, I got curious, and came back to the subject. Living in Asia, what is the most obvious thing one might use as a striker? The striker that came with the cheap455 toy i bought was really uncomfortable to hold, so I went with what I had lying around the house - Chopsticks. I'm currently experimenting with different chopsticks - Really light disposable wooden ones from takeout restaurants, slightly more sturdy bamboo ones that are meant to be reusable in the home, light aluminium ones, or slightly heavier steel ones. The difference between the reusable bamboo type and the light aluminium type is already quite noticeable - There is a massive difference in the strength of the strike, the reverberation, the resonance, and the volume. (Like an ADSR envelope basically.) The metal chopsticks give a much quicker attack and higher resonance, while the wooden ones have a slower and more gentle attack, with a lower resonance. They have a delicacy about them that the metal ones don't, while the metal ones can give a rich and clean tone that the wooden ones just don't. If you try hitting the wooden ones as hard to get the same volume as the metal ones, you just get a bad sound. Different materials give different responses. I also looked at the techniques shown by YT creators for physically holding the striker in the hand, and they didn't feel physically comfortable to me. So, I just held the chopstick the way I would hold it while eating, and it felt much more natural. Maybe that's just a side-effect of living in Asia, but it works for me. I hold the triangle striker like I hold the chopstick to eat rice. I've only had this instrument for a few hours now, but I'm having a lot of fun with it already. Last time I played it was in elementary school, about 40 years ago. I also use a Eurorack Modular synth called "Elements" by Mutable Instruments which works on the basis of physical instruments. It replicates the strength of the strike (how hard you hit it) combined with the position of the striker across the membrane (whether you hit towards the closed or opened end of the triangle, or the centre of the drum vs the outer edge) plus some woodwind options. Triangles and bells are among its primary voices, so actually playing with a real triangle will be a big help in understanding how to better use that synth to create these kinds of sounds. Good times ahead, plus I get to make a big noise in the classroom to get my own back against my incredibly noisy students.

[@LittleMAC78]

I saw triangle played properly, like this, only once about 30 years ago in a Cajun band. They were great :)

[@bodhran]

Love Cajun music!

[@liljo61]

Lush, I love the triangle, haven't played the second pattern before, it's great!!

[@bodhran]

Awesome! its one of my favourite 'go to' patterns - always elevates a mix/ rhythm bed! Have fun! Ruairi

[@UniMask]

I love triangle🔥

[@nabinewaz5433]

Love it! Could you please upload recorded triangle videos music lasting 30-60mins for tinnitus sufferers, all the best, thanks.

[@madjom]

Thank you for the tutorial❤

[@traceytinyhouseelohi7803]

Bam! And just like that, the triangle is cool again!

[@bodhran]

Yeahhh- lets make it a 2023 thing... or ting 🤪

[@traceytinyhouseelohi7803]

@@bodhran ting in the new year!!!!!!!

[@Marcvitoria]

Triângulo faz parte da formação tradicional do trio de forró (triângulo🔺, zabumba 🥁 e sanfona🪗)ritmo brasileiro, nascido no nordeste do Brasil.

[@Marcvitoria]

The triangle is part of the traditional composition of the forró trio (triângulo🔺, zabumba🥁 and accordion🪗) a Brazilian rhythm, born in the northeast of Brazil.

[@joshg2263]

That’s a strong beat, I love a strong beat

[@jevers123]

Very cool stuff, percussionist are kind of the glue that keeps drummers in time and not running away with themselves it's a thing right? Very nice lesson

[@bodhran]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@FelipeBudinich]

I'm really into electronic music, so I should get a sequencer right? Seems kind of unwieldly. But then I thought, what is the simplest I can go so I don't get overwhelmed by choice? You just complete me sold me on the idea of learning the triangle so I can understand rhytmn first. Thank you 🤟

[@bodhran]

Awesome! So glad you found this helpful! Ruairi

[@rjj106]

Lp make a one handed triangle. It would be good to see a good teacher demo that. I can only get 2 sounds out of it...but it only takes one hand.

[@bodhran]

Good idea- I have one! Will try and make a video at some point

[@francesetv9893]

also put the part where are you staying with biagio de prisco and pagani to the madonna of the hens?

[@bodhran]

Its coming!

[@DanielMartinez316]

I have a question: is it possible to do the 7 notes on a triangle? I imagine that you can do only 6.

[@rhysmodica2892]

As far as I know, due to the open nature of the triangle (the gap in the corner), it has no definite pitch. It has 'rich undertones' that effectively make it sing in conjunction with any other note no problem.

[@DanielMartinez316]

@@rhysmodica2892 thank you

[@rhysmodica2892]

@@DanielMartinez316 No problem. I'm actually on this vid to compare the sound of the legendary M1 Garand ping to a triangle to determine if it behaves in the same way.

[@blade7506]

surprised no coptic comments yet, i’ll be your first

[@thierryklein6851]

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