6/8 Time Signature: How It Works & How to Count It
6/8 time has six eighth notes per bar, grouped 3+3 into two dotted-quarter beats, so you count it 1-and-a 2-and-a.
6/8 Metronome: Count Along
Press play and count out loud with the highlighted beat. Accents fall on beat 1 and on the first beat of each group (3 + 3).
Loops until you press Stop. Each click is one eighth note; the loud click is beat 1.
What 6/8 Means
6/8 time is a compound duple meter with six eighth notes per measure grouped into two beats of three. The dotted quarter note becomes the primary pulse, giving 6/8 its characteristic lilting, swaying quality. This meter is fundamental to Irish jigs, many folk traditions, blues shuffles, and rock ballads where a triplet-based groove is desired.
How to Count 6/8
1-and-a 2-and-a
Beat groupings: 3 + 3
Classification
Compound Duple, 6 beats per measure, with the eighth note as the beat unit.
6/8 in Real Music
6/8 is the meter of the jig, and Irish and Scottish dance tunes such as The Irish Washerwoman are the purest form of it: two beats to the bar, three notes to a beat, at a tempo where the dancer feels only the two. The same grouping produces a very different effect in the concert repertoire. Offenbach's Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann uses the gentle rocking of 6/8 to imitate a boat on water, which is the traditional character of the barcarolle and the reason the meter reads as swaying rather than driving. In popular music the classic case is The Animals' recording of House of the Rising Sun, where the rolling arpeggios in threes under the vocal give the song its rise and fall. Blues shuffles, gospel, and rock ballads all use the same triplet-based pulse, sometimes notated as 6/8, sometimes as 12/8, sometimes as 4/4 with a swing instruction. The performer's note is about counting. If you count all six eighth notes, the music will sound plodding and every note will carry equal weight. Count two, tap your foot twice a bar on the first and fourth eighths, and let the three notes inside each beat flow through. That is also the fastest way to hear how 6/8 differs from 3/4.
Example Pieces
- Norwegian Wood, The Beatles
- House of the Rising Sun, Traditional / The Animals
- Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann, Jacques Offenbach
- Irish Washerwoman, Traditional
Often Confused With
6/8 is sometimes confused with 3/4. While they may look or sound similar, they differ in beat grouping, feel, and notation.
Common Genres
Practice Tips
Feel two big beats per measure, each divided into three. Tap your foot twice per measure (on beats 1 and 4 of the six eighth notes) while subdividing 'ONE-and-a TWO-and-a.' Compare this to 3/4 by alternating between the two meters on the same passage.
FAQ
How is 6/8 different from 3/4?
Both contain six eighth notes per measure, but they are grouped differently. In 6/8 you feel TWO big beats, each subdivided into three eighth notes (compound duple). In 3/4 you feel THREE beats, each subdivided into two eighth notes (simple triple). The rhythmic emphasis is fundamentally different.
What does compound duple mean?
Compound means each beat naturally divides into three equal parts (rather than two). Duple means there are two main beats per measure. So compound duple = two beats per measure, each subdivided into three, which is exactly what 6/8 provides.
How do you count 6/8 time?
Count 1-and-a 2-and-a. Each of the two main beats is a dotted quarter note filled by three eighth notes, so your foot taps twice per bar while the syllables track all six eighths.
What songs are in 6/8 time?
Irish jigs such as The Irish Washerwoman, Offenbach's Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann, and rock adaptations like The Animals' House of the Rising Sun, whose rolling triplet arpeggios are the classic 6/8 sound.
How many beats are in a bar of 6/8?
Six eighth notes, but only two felt beats. The eighth notes group into two sets of three, each headed by a dotted quarter note, which is why 6/8 is called a compound duple meter.
Related References
Set Your Own Tempo in 6/8
The full free metronome opens in 6/8 with tap tempo, a BPM slider, subdivisions, and a visual beat indicator.
Open the Metronome in 6/8Want the complete experience?
Tunable's built-in metronome adds tap tempo, subdivisions, multi-device sync, practice scoring, and recording, all on your phone.
