Compound and odd meters
6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 5/4, 7/8 β and how to feel them, not just count them. Β· 15 min
Simple vs compound
Simple meters (2/4, 3/4, 4/4) divide each beat into two. Compound meters divide each beat into THREE. Their top number is 6, 9 or 12, and the beat is a dotted quarter note.
6/8 = 2 beats per bar (each a dotted quarter = three eighths). 9/8 = 3 beats. 12/8 = 4 beats. Count 6/8 as '1-and-a 2-and-a', not '1 2 3 4 5 6' β counting six makes it sound like 3/4 and fast music becomes impossible.
Odd (asymmetric) meters
5/4 and 7/8 have beats of unequal length. Composers show the grouping by how they beam the eighths. 5/4 is usually 3+2 or 2+3. 7/8 is usually 2+2+3, 3+2+2 or 2+3+2.
Count the groups with different syllables: 7/8 as 2+2+3 = '1-2 1-2 1-2-3'. The groups ARE the beats; the eighths are subdivisions.
Triplets and syncopation
A triplet (a bracket marked 3) squeezes three notes into the space of two. Three triplet eighths = one quarter.
Syncopation puts emphasis off the beat β on an '&', or a note tied across the beat. The trap is losing the underlying pulse. Keep counting the main beat and place the syncopated note against it.
Check yourself
You'll see immediately whether each answer is right, and why.
6/8 is normally felt inβ¦