Time Signature 6/8
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What Is Time Signature 6/8?
The time signature or meter 6/8 is show in the music as a 6 above an 8.
This comes before the music starts but after the clef and key signature. The ‘6’ stands for 6 beats per measure and the ‘8’ tells us that each beat is an eighth note. This means that the notes in each measure will add to a half note (or minim).
See if you can spot the six eighth note beats in this passage of music.
Now here it is with the beats labelled.
What Type Of Meter Is 6/8
There are three broad types of time signature: simple, compound and irregular. Simple time signatures have beats that divide into two. Compound time signatures have beats that divide into three and irregular time signatures have a mixture of beats.
In time signature 6/8, the 6 eighth notes are grouped into two groups of three. This means that although 6/8 has 6 beats, it also has only 2 strong beats because of this grouping. You can see this in the image below.
Each strong beat is worth 1 dotted quarter note and is divided into 3 eighth notes. As each strong beat divides into three, 6/8 is a compound meter.
Can you spot where the strong beats fall in the music below?
Here it is with the strong beats labelled.
Here is the opening to Chopin’s Nocturne Opus n3. It contains more complex rhythms with a variety of note lengths, however this piece would still be grouped into the two strong beats per measures (each worth a dotted quarter note). Can you spot where each strong beat falls?
Now here it is with the strong beats added.
