Music Video Lesson: How Do You Count 6/8 Time?

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I'm Robert Estrin. Today, asking the question, how do you count 6 -8 time, or 9 -8 time, or 12 -8 time, or 16 time? Are such things possible? Absolutely. I'm going to break it down for you and show you something really interesting. Let's start with 6 -8. Now, of course, the top number of a time signature tells you how many beats in each measure.

So, 6 -8 time, there are 6 beats in each measure. The bottom number stands for the kinder note getting 1 beat, so the eighth note gets 1 beat. So, you count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. And I'll demonstrate with a very simple piece of Bergmiller Pastoral. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3. Now, you can see that that works, but what happens when it goes up to tempo? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. It becomes really a tongue twister, doesn't it? And now is where I'm going to reflect just for a moment and give you something to think about that's really interesting.

6 -8 time is 6 eighth notes. 6 beats to a measure, eighth note gets 1 beat. 6 eighth notes in a measure.

Well, think about 3, 4 time. 3 beats in each measure, the quarter note gets 1 beat.

Well, how many eighth notes would there be in a measure there? Well, since there's 2 eighth notes to each quarter note, there would also be 6 eighth notes to a measure.

So what is the difference between 3, 4 time and 6, 8 time? Why would a composer choose to write in one or the other? And the answer is how the measure is subdivided.

3, 4 time is 1 and 2 and 3 and 1 and 2 and 3. 1 and 2 and 3 and 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. Like there in a minuet or 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2.

So there are 3 beats in each measure. 6, 8 time, when it goes faster like I just showed you.

It's, you know, you could count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, but you could also count in 2. The measure really divides itself into 2 dotted quarter notes.

Watch.

1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now, in this case you could count in 6. I'm going to play something now for you that would be impossible to count. This is the jig from the Last Moment of Bach's 5th French Suite, and it is in 12, 16. 12, 16. There are 12 beats in each measure. The 16th note gets 1 beat.

So, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3. It's almost impossible to count like that. What happens when it goes up to speed? 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, I can't do it. I can't do it. But watch what you can do! 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4.

1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. In this case, counting dotted eighth notes, 4 dotted eighth notes to the measure.

So think about this. When you have an 8 or a 16 on the bottom...

...and you have a 6, a 9, or a 12 on the top of your time signature...

...this is telling you essentially that each subdivision is three parts to each beat. The beat is the dotted note, and each dotted note gets three. So in 6 -8 time, you've got two dotted quarter notes, each of which has three eighth notes. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2. That's how it works.

And that's why composers choose to write with the eighth note getting the beat, and 6 -8 compared to 3 -4. Instead of 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Consider that in all the music you play. Double check your time signatures. Figure out how you can count your music by counting the dotted note when the eighth note gets one beat. And it will make a world of difference for you, I promise. I hope this is interesting for you. Again, Robert Estrin, LivingPianos.com. Hit that like button, subscribe. Love to have all of you here. See you next time.

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