Exploring the 6/8 Time Signature

Now we'll have a look at a new time signature: 6/8.

Previously, the time signatures that we've worked with were 4/4 and 3/4.

• The 4 on the bottom meant that a quarter note gets one beat.
• Now we're changing that bottom number to an 8, which means that an eighth note gets one beat.

Understanding 6/8

Let's have a look at an example of 6/8. You'll want to think about grouping it into twos, with accents on the first and the fourth beat:

1. One,
2. Two,
3. Three,
4. Four,
5. Five,
6. Six.

This can also be counted as:

• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.

First Example

Let's try this first example together. I'll count to six, and then we'll come in.

Count:

1. One,
2. Two,
3. Three,
4. Four,
5. Five,
6. Six.

Repeat:

• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.
• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.
• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.
• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.

Second Example

Now let's try the second example once again. I'll count to six, and then we'll give it a try.

Be careful of the eighth rests. We'll need to make sure that there's a little silence there.

Count:

1. One,
2. Two,
3. Three,
4. Four,
5. Five,
6. Six.

Repeat:

• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.
• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.
• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.
• One, two, three,
• Four, five, six.

Feel free to pause it and have a go yourself. You're also welcome to slow it way down and just follow the counts.

This is a new time signature, so take some time here!