Sounds Simple Issue #2

MUSIC MADE EASY AND SIMPLE

ISSUE 2 | JANUARY 2023

TRIANGLE SYMPHONY 14

Content List

16 Underrated Facts About Triangles Josue Cruz

18 Simple Shape, Complex Sounds

TRI SYMPHONY

The triangle is a musical instru ment that gets a bit of a bad rap. It’s developed the reputation for being really easy, sort of gratuitous, and not exactly very interesting at all.

We’ll look, in fact, at everything that a beginner needs to play the triangle.

And you might not think it, but there’s a lot to know about the instrument. So, let’s get cracking.

What is the Triangle?

However, this is not really very fair at all – as it is not in the least bit true. Rather, triangles –believe it or not – are actually really important instruments with a long and illustrious history. They are not just kids’ toys or instruments for beginner percussionists at all.

Here, we’re going to look at some of the most important aspects of the triangle – from its history to its central techniques, from some famous triangle performances to the places where you can find yourself a triangle teacher.

The triangle is a percussion instrument that is made of a steel rod bent into the shape of – you guessed it – a triangle. And, as a percussion instrument, it is struck – most commonly with a metal beater, to give the instrument a bright, ringing tone. Like the marimba and the xylophone, the triangle is an idiophone – or an instrument that, when struck, vibrates as a whole.

Something that you may have noticed is that the triangle is not quite a full triangle. Rather, one of the corners is missing.

There’s a reason for this. If the instrument was a Orchestral Triangle, google images

“triangles – believe it or not – are actually really important instruments with a long and illustrious history”

full triangle, it is being struck would give a single pitch. However, that’s not quite what happens with a triangle as it is. Rather, a triangle produces lots of overtones, or harmonics – which gives the instrument its distinctive sound.

The triangle itself aside, you will need what is conventionally known as a ‘triangle holder’ too – a loop from which the triangle is suspended – so that you don’t mute the instrument’s resonance.

Now, apart from in the classroom, you’ll actually find the triangle in a lot of different musical contexts. In samba music, in a lot of Brazilian traditional music, and in classical music too. And, by the way, we’d say that if Brahms is happy to put the triangle to use, there is no reason why you should think it’s daft yourself.

“if Brahms is happy to put the triangle to use, there is no reason why you should think it’s daft yourself”

A Brief History

So why does this instrument even exist? What has caused something so simple – and objectively so limited – to be found in different genres all over the world?

“it goes back for hundreds and hundreds of years”

The answer, actually, is quite interesting, as it goes back for hundreds and hundreds of years.

The first known reference to a triangle comes from the tenth century when it is seen in a book manuscript. Since then, images of a triangle are seen in medieval editions of the Bible, in stain-glass windows, and in a lot of Christian iconographies. Indeed, according to some sources, the triangle is only beaten by the cymbal as the most common instrument played by angels in religious images.

Again, this would seem to us like further support for the fact that maybe the triangle isn’t such a useless instrument after all. It has been around for potentially a thousand years!

From these religious origins, the triangle began to be incorporated into European orchestral works in the eighteenth century, by composers like Brahms, Mozart, and Liszt. This resurgence of interest in the instrument was apparently due to the fact that Turkish musicians who were popular at the time used the instrument a lot.

Moreover, as we mentioned, the instrument became popular in styles of Brazilian music – including samba and forró.

Triangle Through Time

As with many percussion instruments, the triangle is not just a single thing. Rather, it comes in all different shapes and sizes. Triangles tend to come in a standard size of five inches, yet they also come in six inches, seven inches, and eight. The different sizes will affect the sound that the instrument

produces: larger ones will be louder, yes, but they will produce lower pitches, owing to the differences in vibration.

Sometimes, triangles can come with a stand – but more often they are played with a holder or string loop as we discussed above.

The very old – we’re talking medieval – types of triangles would have had rings attached to the bottom side of the instrument. When the triangle was struck, these rings would jingle almost like a tambourine. And whilst this sounds cool, you don’t really find these at all anymore.

Triangle Performances You Should Know

To demonstrate to you that the triangle is not simply a joke instrument or a toy, it is worth looking at some

“the triangle isn’t such a useless instrument after all”

Stained Glass Deptiction, Google Images

Angelica Kauffman: L’Allegra, 1779, Google Images

places where it has been put to extraordinary use. And, as you’ll see, these create an amazing effect without which their pieces of music would be severely lacking.

Johannes Brahms – Symphony #4 (Third Movement)

One of the most famous uses of the triangle in classical music is in the third movement of Brahms’s Fourth Symphony. Throughout this triumphant, joyful movement, the triangle contributes a strange, ethereal effect that adds atmosphere to the piece.

And if you have seen any video of an orchestra performing this piece, you will have noticed the look of concentration on the triangle player’s face.

Franz Liszt – Piano Concerto No. 1 (Second Movement)

Mocked once upon a time as a ‘Triangle Concerto’ – due to the fact that the triangle features heavily – Liszt’s first piano concerto is an astonishing piece.

Lead, in a sense, by the triangle, the second movement’s second part is full of frantic piano lines and our percussion instrument’s constant presence.

Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66 –Casa Forte

We said that a considerable amount of Brazilian music features frequent use of the triangle.

An example of this is in Sérgio Mendes’s ‘Casa Forte’, a wild bossa nova track with a strong percussion section. Here, the triangle is heard in its different style: not just with its piercing ring but used in its percussive mode too.

Medieval Triangl, Google Images

Geometric Harmony

by Jim Neglia - Percussionist & Personnel Manager, Jacksonville Sym.

“...instrument of indeterminate pitch”

The triangle is an idiophonic musical instrument of the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, most usually steel in modern instruments, bent into a triangle shape. One of the angles is left open, with the ends of the bar not quite touching – this causes the instrument to be of indeterminate pitch. It is usually suspended from one of the other corners by a piece of thin wire or gut, leaving it free to vibrate. It is usually struck with a metal beater, giving a high-pitched, ringing tone. In folk music it is more often hooked over the hand so that one side can be damped by the fingers to vary the tone. The pitch can also be modulated slightly by varying the area struck and more subtle damping.

The exact origins of the instrument are unknown, but several paintings from the Middle Ages depict the instrument being played by angels, which has led to the belief that it played some part in church services at that time. Other paintings show it being used in folk bands. Some triangles have jingling rings along the lower side.

Although the instrument is nowadays generally in the form of an equilateral triangle, these early instruments were often isosceles triangles.

The triangle has been used in the western classical orchestra since around the middle of the 18th century. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven all used it, though sparingly, usually in imitation of Janissary bands. The first piece to make the triangle really prominent was Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, where it is used as a solo instrument in the second movement.

The triangle appears to require no specialist ability to play and is often used in jokes and one liners as an archetypal instrument that even an idiot can play. The Martin Short sketch comedy character Ed Grimley is the best-known example. However, triangle parts in classical music can be very demanding, and James Blades in the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians writes that “the triangle is by no means a simple instrument

“the triangle is by no means a simple instrument to play”

to play”. In the hands of an expert it can be a surprisingly subtle and expressive instrument.

Most difficulties in playing the triangle come from the complex rhythms which are sometimes written for it, although it can also be quite difficult to control the level of volume. Very quiet notes can be obtained by using a much lighter beater – knitting needles are sometimes used for the quietest notes. Composers sometimes call for a wooden beater to be used instead of a metal one, which gives a rather “duller” and quieter tone.

When we think of steel, we often imagine tall skyscrapers and large-scale constructions – heavy industry. But in the realm of music, steel can play a more delicate role.

In comes the triangle. Remember the triangle? You may have first encountered the simple instrument in grade school, as a tinkering tool to play with for band practice. It is often disregarded as a legitimate instrument and

forgotten about, but the percussive idiophone should not be taken for granted.

The Humble Triangle’s Musical Impact

Unassuming in composition (it is literally an outline of a triangle), it is one of the only percussion instruments that is made entirely out of metal. It is usually shaped from a steel bar into an equilateral or isosceles triangle, with an opening at one of its corners.

Historically, the triangle was created from both solid iron and steel rod, but is now primarily made from steel. It comes with a playing apparatus, usually a steel beater, and hangs suspended from a fishing line. The thin suspension line lets the instrument vibrate freely and create its signature noise.

The simple triangle’s sound is affected by the sizes and materials it comes in; the preferred orchestra size is between six to nine

Orchestral Triangle Player, Google Images

inches in diameter and played with a steel or wooden beater, which dictate a distinct note. The instrument’s tones range diversely from a shimmering trill to a more substantial, allencompassing ring, all depending on what the conductor wants.

“the difficulty and nuance in mastering triangle performance”

For a post for the Utah Symphony, professional triangle player Eric Hopkins noted the difficulty and nuance in mastering triangle performance. Most think it just requires hitting a steel triangle with a baton, but it actually takes more effort and skill than this obvious method.

It eventually evolved and transitioned into compositions by Mozart and Beethoven, and nowadays, we see it as a permanent member of complete orchestras around the world. Franz Liszt was the first to make a solo symphony featuring the triangle, as heard discreetly down below in “Piano Concerto No. 1”.

Beyond the Classics

The triangle can appear to have a difficult time fitting in next to main attraction instruments such

as the violin or the piano. However, the threepointed musical underdog has traveled far from western classical music, now taking part in the folk and pop genres with its unifying sound. Both John Deacon of Queen and Joni Mitchell have featured its characteristic clang in their tunes.

In folk music, forró and rock music, the triangle is played by hooking it over the hand so that one side can be muted by the fingers to vary the tone. It is popularly used in Cajun music, where it is used as a strong beat, especially if no drums are part of the performance.

Light in Weight, Unavoidable in Sound

Without knowledge of its sensitive nature, it can be hard to take the fine triangle seriously. But by understanding that through appropriate manipulation of the instrument’s timbre and articulation, its musical elements can be conveyed with more complexity. Being especially particular to the way the triangle is handled is the key to playing it successfully.

Its steel frame gives it this unique chime, and while it does not play the most notes within a symphony, it has its virtues, particularly for its overarching tonal blending capabilities.

Left, Triangle Macroshot, Google Images; Below, Triangle Player, Google Images

Triangle Basics

By Chris Wheeler

Easy as...

Holding

Before you start to play, you’ll need to attach the triangle holder. Loop the string onto the open corner and pull the string onto the first closed corner you reach. Now, if you are right-handed, hold the triangle in your left hand with the open corner pointing leftwards.

Striking

As you are holding the triangle with the holder, you can now practise striking the instrument. As you would with a drum, you need to strike it with the beater and then return your hand to its original position –otherwise, it will not resonate.

Rolling

Once you have got the basic strike down, you can try the triangle roll. This is where you put the beater inside one of the closed corners of the triangle and quickly strike at either side.This will produce a jangling effect that recalls a drum roll.

Muting

Now, for the more rhythmic technique, you want to unloop the triangle holder and place the top corner of the triangle onto your left hand’s index finger. It should balance on that finger so that your left hand’s other fingers are able to move.

So, you have heard some famous uses of the triangle. It’s not time to pick up your own instrument and get playing yourself. At this point, you’ll see that it is not such a straightforward technique. Here, we are going to look at three techniques: the basic strike, the roll, and the muted bossa nova technique as heard in ‘Casa Forte’. 3 4

Underrated Facts About Triangles 5

by Josue Cruz

The Triangle took nearly 100 years to become a popular orchestral instrument

The first prominent use of a triangle in European classical music dates back to February 17, 1855. The humble triangle got its own solo in Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major. This triangle solo caused much ridicule from the critics, with one critic referring to the piece of music as the “Triangle Concerto,” which I’m sure he found very funny.

People are still using the Triangle in contemporary music

A lot of the facts about the triangle are firmly rooted in the history books and you may think that people who play the triangle wear only suits. But did you know that in 2008 the Foo Fighters had their percussionist Drew Hester play triangle solos on their 2008 tour? The triangle is a simple instrument that produces a clear, piercing sound that can cut through the sound of an entire orchestra. It is very easy to ignore this humble twisted rod of steel, but hopefully I have inspired you to pay a little closer attention to a simple sounding percussion instrument. If nothing else, you can always add “Professional Triangle Player” to the list of jobs you’ll never do!

The Triangle is an orchestral instrument because 18th Century composers copied the Turkish military

In the 1700’s, the Turkish royal family had an elite corps of bodyguards called the Janissaries. They were known for playing Janissary music, which heavily featured percussion instruments of all kinds, from drums to bells. Basically, if you could hit it then the Janissaries played it. In 1720, the Polish ruler Augustus II “adopted” Janissary music for his own army, which effectively introduced the triangle to the whole of Europe. Composers such as Mozart and Beethoven began to incorporate the triangle, albeit sparingly, into their compositions.

Triangles haven’t always been triangle

The earliest triangles depicted in historical documents date back to the 10th Century manuscript. Often the early triangles were trapezoid in shape and the ones that were triangle were closer to an isosceles triangle than to the equilateral triangle we all know and ignore today. Unlike modern triangles, which have an open bottom corner, ancient triangles were one continuous triangle of metal, often with additional metal rings threaded through the bottom bar.

Triangles are an easy instrument, so the pieces written for them are often very complex

Anyone can hit a triangle with a stick. Most of the beaters are attached to the triangle, so you don’t even have to worry about losing your sticks like drummers do. However, triangles are still musical instruments, and as such they have a technique to perfect and that can often take a lifetime. There are pieces of music that call for the triangle to be strung up on a stand while the triangle player uses 2 beaters. As well as this, there are a variety of beaters and straps to use on the triangle, all of which affect tone, volume, and clarity of the sound produced. Sometimes the triangle is suspended from fishing line, to ensure that the tone produced is as clear as possible. Other times, mostly in Latin and Cajun folk music, the triangle is hung from the hand in order to dampen specific notes in specific ways.