How to Play and Count in 6/8 Time Signature 

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I wish I had had this clear explanation when I was beginning... in 1950. Thanks!

As a moderate pianist, your explanations were extremely helpful. I was a drummer in high school and now at 79yrs. old I had forgotten a lot, but it was so refreshing to hear you explain rhythms and counting once again. Your approach is very simple and explanatory for me as an older person who wants to relearn what I knew way back. I saved your video to listen to it over and over again until it becomes part of my thinking once again. Loved your way of teaching rhythms and counting. Thanks Dan

Thanks so much. I started playing again in April (stopped 40 years ago). It is most helpful to hear you play an example from music. I will be looking up your website soon

Hey students! I highly recommend you watch this lesson next, it's on the common rhythm patterns you need to know. You can watch it here: bit.ly/rhythmpatterns2 If you've already seen it, I recommend watching this: bit.ly/rhythm-strategy

Thanks Tim. I felt this was beyond my level at the start of the video, you have a great way to take us by the hand and make it easier to understand.

I read, but playing by ear is much more comfortable for me. However. This is SO important to me and is really encouraging me to do things professionally. Thank you

Thank you! This was very helpful! More videos on time signatures and trickier counting would be fantastic!

Thanks for sharing. Very helpful

This was soooo helpful. Thanks.

Amazing episode I hope there will be much more about easy and hard time signatures

aside from your tempo changing when talking about different counts it was a good lesson

Thank you sir good explanation. Of time signature.

Many thanks for your video clip. It is helping me a lot. I play the baroque tenor recorder. Have a healthy and nice day. 🎉😅🎊

Keep going, love the theory!

Amazing video!! I´ve been playing the piano for quite some time, and want to learn music therory, however, when I went over the internet to learn, it was overwhelming, what order would you recommend to learn things on/ what should I start with? (fifth circle, chords, scales, rythm, sheet reading, etc.) greetings from Argentina

Thank you vro 🔥

Good lesson on 6/8! "Silent Night" was the first tune I learned on piano in 6/8 time. In the key of C and of course it helped that I knew the melody and rhythm before hand. What about tresillo (3-3-2) rhythm? Could that be represented in 8/8 time?

give a video on' /all time signatures' and where the' accents 'are/ compound ,simple time and odd time / a lot of people will benefit from it- as it is important when composing.

great post, just had a discussion with another educator about this very subject. not coming from an educator position, wouldn't a swing waltz be more 6/8 and house of the rising sun be more 12/8 feel?(triplets) thank you again for all you do

I'm a self teaching piano student, typing from Brazil, in compound beat, how to identify or figure out ,which is the correct time signature? 😢

What about 5/8 and the derivative 10/8? This rithm is found in this Basque music named Zortziko (Zorcico in Spanish). Which may be found on dancing and romantic or especially emotional songs. Iparaguirre wrote a lot in 5/8. There is a famous Zorcico named Maitechu Mía song by famous singers like Alfredo Kraus or Plácido Domingo and Mocedades. Can you please explain to us this rithm written in the 19th century for Basque songs and dances? Have a look at this song named Agur Jesusen Ama. It is written in 5/8 but may be written in 10/8 instead. Very pretty!

I play in a hand bell choir and we sometimes have pieces that switch time signatures. We can switch to using 2/4. Can you talk more about that?

yes! talk about dream theater signatures😊😊🤗🤗

I want more about time signatures as I'm trying to learn Zappa.

Syncopation please! This was very helpful.

I prefer to count 6/8 in 2::1 and a 2 and a... 12/8 would be counted in 4: 1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4 and a...

Can you please play 2/2 time signatures

🙏🙏🙏

The Way I learned 6/8 was it is two four, but the beat is the dotted quarter, and eight notes are triplets. This seems way more simple.

Be nice to have harder 6/8 time signatures please

Syncopated rhythms please!

The hemiola example just doesn't work with 6 beats. Think of "America" from west side story which continually switches between 3:4 and 6:8. One and a Two and a One, Two, Three, One and a Two and a, Onne Two Three...

yes, syncopated please!

how about polyrhythms...

yes, please

I think of 6/8, kind of like 2/4 with triplets, but instead of triplets for every beat, its easier to go with 6(8 with grouping of 3. 6/8 has often tempo indicated with extended quarter note, while 2/4 have tempo with quarter note You could possibly transcribe a piece from 6/8 to 2/4, by using triplets on almost every beat, except just remove dots from extended notes. I think exactly the same about 9/8 vs 3/4, or 12/8 vs 4/4 While 5/8 and 7/8 etc. are something entirely different, with uneven subdivision,

How to count in 6/8 1 2 3 1 23

Talk more about 7/8

6/8 makes me feel so uncomfortable! 😂

6:8 is ONE and a TWO and a ..... counting 6:8 as 6 beats is madness and poor teaching. It is two beats, each beat a dotted crotchet. You also should not writesingle notes that cross the centre f the bar. A minim on beat one should be written as a dotted crotchet tied to a quaver.