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Old 02-04-2016, 11:53 AM
pf400 pf400 is offline
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Default Difference between 3/4 time and 6/8 itme?

I believe that 6/8 can be explained as ONE two three FOUR five six. Sounds the same as 3/4 time to me. Correct ? Or is the differenct that the 6 strums crammed into one measure as opposed to 3 strums per measure in 3-4 time.
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Old 02-04-2016, 11:57 AM
Halcyon/Tinker Halcyon/Tinker is offline
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Think 'Manic Depression' 3/4, vs 'since I've been loving you' 6/8...

6/8 tends to have more of a half time feel.
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Old 02-04-2016, 11:59 AM
ntotoro ntotoro is offline
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They have a completely different feel to me. 3/4 really does feel like a waltz where someone once described 6/8 to me like some one saying E-mi-ly-Dick-in-son E-mi-ly-Dick-in-son

"Crying in the Rain" by Whitesnake is a good example of 6/8 time where something like "Dance of the Flowers" is 3/4.

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Old 02-04-2016, 12:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pf400 View Post
I believe that 6/8 can be explained as ONE two three FOUR five six. Sounds the same as 3/4 time to me. Correct ? Or is the differenct that the 6 strums crammed into one measure as opposed to 3 strums per measure in 3-4 time.
Hi pf…

6/8 time is usually played/felt in duplet (two beats per measure - each divided into triplets). It's like 2/4 time subdivided into triplets. A lot of brass band marches use 6/8 time and use dotted rhythms.

A very slow 6/8 might sound like a very fast ¾ time if sub-divided into three beats per measure, but that's not normal. Usually though 6/8 is played like 2/4 time with the subdivisions of the beats being in triplet or even dotted rhythms for swing.

Similar to the concept that 12/8 is 4/4 with triplet subdivisions rather than duplet subdivisions. You could mathematically split 12/8 into different sub-divisions but normally it's 4/4 sub-divided into triplets.

Hope this helps...



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Old 02-04-2016, 12:20 PM
Earwitness Earwitness is offline
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ONE two three FOUR five six--generally quicker (6/8 is more like 2/4)
Versus
ONE two THREE four FIVE six (if all six beats would be there-- a waltz)

(Maybe heard better as a waltz as: one and two and three and one and two and three)
(Whereas 6/8 is : ONE and and TWO and and)
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Old 02-04-2016, 01:01 PM
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Could be the DOWNBEAT thing....emphasis

Downbeat,2,3,4,5,6 is 6/8 (think fast paced irish tune)

Downbeat, 2,3 is 3/4 (think waltz)
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Old 02-04-2016, 01:31 PM
RRuskin RRuskin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pf400 View Post
I believe that 6/8 can be explained as ONE two three FOUR five six. Sounds the same as 3/4 time to me. Correct ? Or is the differenct that the 6 strums crammed into one measure as opposed to 3 strums per measure in 3-4 time.
6/8 is an example of "compound meter." Although you can count 6 individual 1/8th notes in a bar, the feel is usually that of 2 beats per measure with each beat being represented by 3 1/8th notes grouped together. In other words, 2 beats per measure with a dotted 1/4 getting 1 beat.
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Old 02-04-2016, 01:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earwitness View Post
ONE two three FOUR five six--generally quicker (6/8 is more like 2/4)
Versus
ONE two THREE four FIVE six (if all six beats would be there-- a waltz)

(Maybe heard better as a waltz as: one and two and three and one and two and three)
(Whereas 6/8 is : ONE and and TWO and and)
If you are jazz player is it the following?

FOUR..........Two..two..two....three.............. ..FIVE..six...................................ONE


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Old 02-04-2016, 01:56 PM
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3/4 - 3 beats to a measure where the quarter note gets the beat
6/8 - 6 beats to a measure where the 8th note gets the beat

H
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Old 02-11-2016, 11:01 AM
musicman1951 musicman1951 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pf400 View Post
I believe that 6/8 can be explained as ONE two three FOUR five six. Sounds the same as 3/4 time to me. Correct ? Or is the differenct that the 6 strums crammed into one measure as opposed to 3 strums per measure in 3-4 time.
If you mean a measure of 6/8 sounds the same to you as two measures of 3/4 I'd agree that it's pretty close. 3/4 tends to have a pretty good emphasis on the downbeat, and while there may be a slight emphasis on 4 (in 6/8) it's not as strong.
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Old 02-11-2016, 11:59 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harmonics101 View Post
3/4 - 3 beats to a measure where the quarter note gets the beat
6/8 - 6 beats to a measure where the 8th note gets the beat

H
No, not really. 6/8 is two beats to the measure, where the dotted quarter gets the beat.

Here's a useful demo of the 3/4-6/8 difference:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSKk-cvblc
Code:
|6/8                    |3/4                   |
|1   .   .   2   .   .  |1   .   2   .   3  .  |
 I like  to  be  in  A---me------ri------ca
6/8 is a jig
3/4 is a waltz

Irish jig 6/8:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEJQuwHm88I
Compare Afro-Cuban 6/8, which cleverly mixes in 3/4 cross-rhythms, so you can often feel it as one or the other alternately:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vw35oG6H6s

In general, 6/8 is when the 8ths are to fast to count each of them individually, so you count them as two groups of three, "one and a two and a".
I.e., you feel the beats (the pulse) first, and then listen for how the beat divides up - into halves or thirds?
Two beats each dividing in half? 2/4
Two beats each dividing in three? 6/8

However, there are grey areas sometimes. As 6/8 slows down it becomes possible to count each 8th, and maybe think it ought to be two bars of 3/4.
But the test is whether counting six beats "1-2-3-4-5-6" makes the music feel too fast. I.e., you still start from how the beat feels - fast or slow? (Compared to a walking pace, as a rough rule of thumb)

Here's a couple of examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A-4VGfx5lU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8raabzZNqw
In each case, it's slow enough to verbally count "1-2-3-4-5-6" (accents on 1 and 4), but it doesn't exactly feel right for the songs, which feel more like "1-and-a-2-and-a".
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Last edited by JonPR; 02-11-2016 at 12:12 PM.
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Old 02-11-2016, 12:27 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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6/8 is a most wonderful time for slow blues, torch songs etc. When I was a drummer it was my very favourite.

Funny thing - in "Strictly come dancing (the UK version of Dancing Stars) or whatever, EVERY waltz is danced to a 6/8 time, maybe because it is so expressive.

I am trying to think of many great blues/soul numbers that demonstrate it -but only one that comes to mind right now is this :



Remind me of more someone.
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Old 02-11-2016, 12:59 PM
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Ed-in-Ohio Ed-in-Ohio is offline
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6/8 = 3/4 + Jameson
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Old 02-11-2016, 01:29 PM
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Sometimes a picture truly is worth a thousand words. To whit:
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Old 02-11-2016, 02:33 PM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silly Moustache View Post
6/8 is a most wonderful time for slow blues, torch songs etc. When I was a drummer it was my very favourite.

Funny thing - in "Strictly come dancing (the UK version of Dancing Stars) or whatever, EVERY waltz is danced to a 6/8 time, maybe because it is so expressive.

I am trying to think of many great blues/soul numbers that demonstrate it -but only one that comes to mind right now is this :



Remind me of more someone.
See above (I failed to make my links into proper youtube links )

There's also:
Nights in White Satin
Hallelujah
I Can't Help Falling in Love With You (Elvis)
Shiver (Coldplay)
Tuesday's Gone (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Metallica)

Possibly REM's Everybody Hurts, unless you think that's 12/8.
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