Skip to content
16.1 · Compound Time & Swing

Beats that split in threes

Most meters split their beats in half. 6/8 splits them in three. A bar holds two big beats, and each one carries three quick pulses: ONE-two-three, FOUR-five-six. That triple split is the lilt inside jigs, lullabies, and half the great power ballads.

Two ways to split a beat

Same two big beats. Split them in half and you get a march. Split them in threes and the music starts to sway.

The kick lands on the big beats. Count the second one out loud: ONE two three, FOUR five six.

What 6/8 looks like

Top number 6: six pulses per bar. Bottom number 8: the eighth note carries the pulse. The eighths group in threes, and a dotted quarter fills one whole big beat.

1 2 3 4 5 61 (2 3) 4 (5 6)

That long-short rocking figure (quarter + eighth, twice) is the classic 6/8 sound: think "We Are the Champions" or a boat on slow water.

Quiz

1 / 3

In 6/8, each big beat splits into…

Score 100% on every quiz and game to complete this lesson.Swing & shuffle →