6/8 vs 3/4 Time Signature - How Are They Different?

[@benhodde5688]

Love that it’s literally an identical fraction and the only way to “tell” is by FEEL.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

correct... and even then, we are just talking about common practice.

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

Hmmm. 3/4 is always counted in 3. 6/8 may be counted in 6 but is often counted in 2. Now, 9/8 is almost always counted in 3 and I've played 3/8 counted in 1.

[@asdfghyter]

I think it's more than just the feel, more specifically it's about the stress pattern. Which of the six beats are being stressed: is it 1, 3 and 5 (3/4) or is it 1 and 4 (6/8)

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

@@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ These are all true... and when you count 6/8 in 2..How are you subdividing... 😉

[@mkall]

even in math they are not identical all the time. they are only identical in regards to equations. you cannot say that 3 pies out of 4 are the same as 6 pies out of 8 though. in music 3/4 means that you divide the time in 3 quarter notes while 6/8 means that you divide the time in 6 eighth notes. thats why we use 4/2 in music which means that we divide the time in 4 half notes. saying just "2" is meaningless, even though its equal to "4/2"

[@matt-dw]

3/4: Dooby dooby dooby 6/8: Doobidy doobidy

[@dylanhoward718]

3/4 triplets: doobity doobity doobity

[@BofA243]

@@dylanhoward718thats 9/8

[@fpvflyer4758]

Note to Self: Use calculator next time you’re playing the drums

[@liamthorp._.]

math rock be like

[@JV-df9em]

If you’re friends with a drummer, at some point during your friendship, you’ve been unwillingly invited to partake in time signature discussions. Although the examples are usually played on countertops and dashboards and completely impromptu 😂 Great breakdown my man!

[@niteshade2271]

I wish I had a drummer friend 😭

[@moonlight_sparkle6659]

Dude, that’s literally my brother!! 😂😂

[@dadviper8654]

every time i watch this man i’m just imagining the time he spends behind the drums. he knows like EVERYTHING

[@TellURide447]

I’m not gonna like this cause you have 69 likes. And that’s pretty kewl

[@goodluck1449]

Being honest and fair: as a musician, these things normally take 5-10 minutes of searching and reading to find out.

[@danielmsmbl]

I'm sure he does know a lot, but the thing he's talking about in this video is pretty common knowledge amongst musicians.

[@eatmyconcerns7107]

Thank you, Jonah Hill!

[@clementinelives]

💀

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Hahahaha

[@GETOVERHERE_]

Michael Keaton

[@hudsonlehr7571]

exactly what i was gonna comment 😡

[@smiley77777]

Lmfao!!!!!

[@Leo-tl4fd]

i like to think to 3/4 as waltz and 6/8 as a 4/4 with waltz rythm

[@kvmalley]

Agreed, I call 6/8 long 4 because you can subdivide by 4. So the kick and snare are on the long 4 count.

[@jtcorey7681]

I always thought 3/4 would typically have a waltz feel. That’s different from the three sets of two and more like the feel of the 6/8 demonstrated. I guess I’m still puzzled.

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

I agree with you. 3/4 is never counted in anything other than 3. It's true that 6/8 may be counted in 2 or 6 but I think that 9/8 is closer to a 3/4 feel.

[@992ras]

It’s how you phrase it that makes it a waltz. You can practice 3/4,6/8 and 9/8 as roll as well. The very basic for waltz is to play Kick and double on the snare so if you sound it out it’s like boom bop bop so to it count Accent on the 1, 2,3

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

@@992ras Downbeat is always on the one. While 6/8 is possible it's also quite fast. There's a REASON why it's usually in 3/4. Quarter notes are LONGER than eighth notes. I don't recall ever playing a Waltz in 9/8. It is possible but again that's technically three eighth notes to the beat and nine to the measure. Just easier to write it in 3/4 with three quarter notes to the measure.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Keep in mind the time signatures have nothing to do with tempo. A waltz twice as fast might feel more like a common 6/8 to you. That why I think it’s a better practice to feel how the beats are being subdivided, but at the end of the day… they are are both mathematically the same, so they are also technically interchangeable

[@992ras]

@@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ like he said it’s how you phrase things both 6/8 and 9/8 can also be Afro-Cuban depending on how you phrase it. Yes a waltz is triplet but not all triplets are a waltz. So like in Reggae you plays 9/8 but you phrase it like it’s 4/4 like the One drop beat which you take out the down beat on one and accent the up beat. Accent just means that part has more dramatic effect to your playing. But everything is about feel

[@MetallicAGirl14]

I still can’t really tell the difference, but this was the best explanation I’ve found so far so thank you. 😊

[@waltz251]

you could feel two bars in 3/4 as a single bar in 6/8, but you probably won't feel a single bar in 3/4 as a single bar in 6/8 because the former is 2+2+2 while the latter is 3+3

[@TakashiToshirou]

The literal difference is the note that gets the beat and the beats per measure. It's 3 beats per measure with the quarter note getting the beat vs 6 beats per measure with the 8th note getting the beat.

[@Feirin332]

6/8 has more of a pendulum swing feel to it

[@smartaleckduck4135]

It seems so simple, but I had so much trouble with it until just now!

[@springerbrady]

Been in music/drumming for approaching 20 years… this is one of the best & well thought out ways of looking @ 3/4 vs 6/8 I’ve seen. Great video!

[@jareds9863]

Been trying to learn time signatures for awhile and this was very helpful. Subscribed cheers

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Welcome to the family !

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Here's a PART 2 with more context: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ7Wc36JZtyao9E

[@scaryterry1637]

That’s the first time I’ve ever gotten a straight answer for that question. Thank you so much!!!!

[@iamsecryt]

I love the way he explained everything as well as demonstrated. Most tutorials are one or the other

[@doby8544]

I already knew this but I appreciate you educating others, in a fun and quick way.

[@davidperry4013]

3/4 feels asymmetrical and 6/8 feels symmetrical.

[@eh2254]

Best! Explanation I’ve ever heard on the topic

[@scottveit1517]

Great lesson! Inspired me to create a tricky new groove!

[@hunterwebber6025]

Dude, great advice! Simple but opens up the mind to a different approach. Thanks, Broski!

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

No worries 😉

[@drumlover1687]

Great job of explaning as always Jay!

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Thanks my friend!!

[@VopiscusGuitar]

I always ditch the denominator and only focus on the beats per measure. Jamming with friends, we just tell eachother, "this song is in 6s", or "the next part's in 7s". Eliminates all debate from our jam sessions.

[@JonieBalonee]

This is why listening to other instruments is important while playing, because you can figure out the phrasing of each section and it makes deciphering time signatures much easier.

[@PessimismusPrime]

Jonah hill is not only a good actor but also a awesome drum teacher

[@sclavojar70s80]

It does help ! Thank you man, New Orleans AEJ

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Right on!!

[@timmyles314]

great explanation cause i'm not to savy when it comes to timing... only now i'm trying to learn drums. 🥁🤪👏

[@BNLNRD]

Fantastic Explanation! Thanks :)

[@unownnnn]

Best explanation I've heard on it!

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Thank you!!!

[@ARSZLB]

one word: SUBDIVISION

[@blueburger4]

Puff your chest and say...SUBDIVISION

[@ashblankspace6800]

best explanation yet thank you i finally understand this

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Glad it helped!

[@dade1789]

I hated music 🎵🎵 but I now like music 🎶🎶... thanks 👍 I appreciate your help....😜

[@Gisele11]

Wow that is an awesome explanation, thank you!!!!!!

[@ncsludgefactory5445]

You taking all the damn fun out of it man🤣

[@zacharyjames4121]

It's so awesome to see phrasing. Just changes something up entirely.

[@whycantihaveanumber00000]

You can also fit a 4/4 polyrhythm in 6/8 when I want to change it up mid song. Really cool feel

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

Then you're just playing in 12/8.

[@BradsGonnaPlay]

THANK YOU for distinguishing the “practical mathematic” difference from the “common practice” difference. I get so riled up when people imply they are only and always two different feels. A time signature tells you how much of what kind of note. Therefore if I need to show on the sheet music that I’m going to change time sigs from 5/8 to a pulse of 6 eighth notes, well I’d functionally prefer to write it as 6/8 even if the feel according to “common practice” is 3/4.

[@willschwabenbauer2577]

Good stuff. Very interesting. Understanding time signatures is a weakness of mine.

[@elias4493]

here’s a simple guide: 3/4 is a headache and 6/8 is cool

[@wahraoeh]

Best explanation hands down. 🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@WilliamTurk]

I always think of 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 as an alternate way to write triplets.

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

Or... 2/4, 3/4 & 4/4??

[@thomasotto8033]

Way to break it down thanks all drummers need to do that for our students.nice Job dude 😎🥁☠️

[@javi.martinez.b]

Here in latinamerica we deal with 6/8 all the time when playing folklore 😊 Thanks for the leak!!

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

Or Based On 12: 3/8, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8. Each "3" is basically a quarter note feel.

[@dakotablack2003]

Articulate and pleasant. Good teacher

[@yaroslavleshchukh]

Thank you! So useful ☺️

[@codyeveryday5432]

68 Linds itself to triplets with subdivisions for 3-4 can still be done with quadruplets and not sound out of place

[@kipponi]

Those are used very much in Flamenco music. Changing in one song now and then. It is different feel.

[@itachi2011100]

That was very helpful actually.

[@johannesmeergans6861]

I thought WHAT A NICE DOOR MAT until he hit the HiHat 🙈

[@paulmix3858]

Best explanation to separate blues and waltz from each other.

[@702ringo1]

Excellent explanation 🥁

[@samsguitarcovers]

Brilliant explanation man

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Thank you 🙏

[@samsguitarcovers]

@@Thedrummersalmanac np haha

[@gordianknot6867]

That’s a brilliant explanation!!

[@larperator556]

Would be embarrassed to admit for how long I thought 3/4 and 6/8 were the same despite having played both time signatures within the context of his explanation (well done 👏🏼). Then, one day I was like, “wait a minute, I’m dumb” having come to this realization. 😆🤷🏻‍♂️

[@wesleyjones3701]

that's actually pretty interesting

[@drk_ey3s699]

Finally after scrolling so many..this taught me the best❤❤❤

[@goodluck1449]

Also: 2/2 = X/Y Where X is the amount of beats and Y is the type of "note" in a bar. 2/2 means 2 minims in a bar. Similarly: 3/4 = 3 crotchets 6/8 is 6 quavers, which is technically still 3 crotchets, but this is important when writing a piece of music and sometimes in transposition (I think, I forget), it affects how you write a note.

[@melvinkeys]

Its pretty simple. 6/8= 6 x 1/8. - means just put 6 eighth notes in a row. Similarly, 3/4= 3 x 1/4. - put 3 quarter notes in a row

[@MS-he9rg]

Great explanation!

[@jtystowe1149]

A fantastic explanation. Great job.

[@marsbar5445]

i always go by whether the music feels like it's rocking back and forth (6/8) or just kinda flowing (3/4)

[@andyshistorylessons8278]

Personally, as someone who is teaching themself to do music composition (sheet music) I personally like 6/8 times. I think you have more potential with 6/8 times creatively speaking. To explain, you can write longer riffs and rhythms and come up with cool syncopations.

[@Volleyball_Vagabond7]

That's really cool, keep up the good work 👍

[@jonblon-II]

Man that little circle on the wall kept making me think that there was hair on my screen

[@Bub646]

Great explanation, thank you

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Glad it was helpful!

[@swivelken248chan6]

I also do the same way of counting to tell 3/4 or 6/8. I also love doing the 6/8 blast beats.

[@DanielBeattyDefinition]

Yes it does indeed help. Thank you.

[@koibubbles3302]

I feel as a person who thinks in terms of objectivity this is something I will never get, care about, or understand. I'll probably just make my own system

[@somfmusic1723]

The easiest way for me to think of it is just “when does the beat repeat itself?” If you’re hearing a pattern that repeats itself every 6 beats (ie. kick, hat,hat,snare,hat,hat)it’s usually in 6/8 and if you’re hearing a pattern that repeats itself every 3 beats (ie. Kick,hat,snare.kick,hat,snare) it’s usually in 3/4. Obviously this isn’t ALWAYS the case, but more often than not it’s enough to judge what time signature the song is in.

[@josiahosburn8141]

super helpful!

[@JosephMensman]

In case anyone is still confused and needs it worded differently, 6/8 is two groups of three while 3/4 is three groups of two

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Correct… subjectively

[@opiedrums6969]

Perfect explanation

[@benjaminwoodman]

The helped. There’s a drum beat I can’t get by ear because it’s very awkward and I’m just gunna listen to it and transcribe the audio to sheet music one cymbal / drum at a time lol. For those interested the song is called “Nuff Respect” from the game gitaroo man. The best game ever lol. Edit: And I’ve come to conclusion it’s in 6/8

[@ultracheese4209]

At first I thought this was supposed to be about polyrhythms and I was getting so mad about the lack of polyrhythms before I finally realized it wasn’t

[@philesq9595]

Well done.

[@EricTheRea]

They are very different meters. They happen to contain the same number of 8th notes, but the similarities end there. 6/8 is a Compound Duple meter: two beats per measure and each beat is divided into three parts. 3/4 is a Simple Triple meter: three beats per measure and each beat is divided into two parts.

[@_sonicfive]

Just got off an 8 hour session on audience segmentation in excel. It's better I rewatch this tomorrow morning.

[@anthonyfontana5716]

6/8 can also be, based on the piece conducted in two to give more of a waltz feel

[@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk]

Usually, people mistake 6/8 for a very slow 4/4.

[@MCLooyverse]

In my understanding (and I think I'm just rephrasing the same thing you said), people feel them differently. That is, if you stick a 6/8 on the front, a musician will interpret the music differently from if you put a 3/4 on the front, even though nothing actually changed. My parents (musicians) are adamant that there is a difference, although they cannot explain it, whereas I'm certain there's no actual difference, except in implication, and tradition.

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

That is exactly right. What musicians usually use to gauge is what I would call "common practice" or how something commonly feels and the time signature that got associated with that feel over time.

[@hollymonie4619]

It helped tremendously!!! Tnx alot

[@richardsannasardo4026]

I love your approach

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Thank you 🙏

[@draetonalimoffatt8780]

As a guitarists, thanks for this. I know time signatures aren't rocket science but they aren't intuitive and these breakdowns make it real easy.

[@kitkazak]

thanks for the explanation!

[@godofwar0678]

My ass tried getting that hair off my screen by his left shoulder, instead of paying attention to the difference

[@otterwalrus9531]

This was really interesting. Thank you!

[@matthewbertrand4139]

it's more than that, though. triplet subdivisions could easily be mistaken for 3/4 as well, but notice how he treated the downbeats differently. of course we're all taught that weak beats are upbeats and strong beats are downbeats, but in practical applications, we often control beat strength on a much more granular level and just never talk about it. when playing 6/8 as subdivided triplets, you have two downbeats - 1 and 4. however, to lock into 6/8 and ensure it in no way feels like fast 3/4, we tend to play 1 as a weak downbeat, and 4 as a strong downbeat. there is a clear strong pulse on 1, but 4 is always stronger. it gives the swaying push-pull of 6/8.

[@gg_0nr941]

Another valid one is think of 6/8 as eigth notes(or quaviers) and 3/4 as a quarter note (or semi crochet)

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Sure. Just keep in mind that Mathematically they are identical. You can certainly write 6/8 using 3 quarter notes or 3/4 as 6 eighth notes. Tempo has no bearing on the time signature so at the end of the day it’s subjective.

[@TakashiToshirou]

The literal difference is the note that gets the beat and the beats per measure. It's 3 beats per measure with the quarter note getting the beat vs 6 beats per measure with the 8th note getting the beat.

[@marc5474]

Inconceivable

[@jasonwatlington4687]

This makes sense after two years 😳

[@Honduran444]

Someone give this man a medal

[@J.S.McDuff]

Piano Man is an EXCELLENT example of 3/4 vs 6/8 The drummer switches a lot and it's an example I give my students.

[@VincentVanJoYT]

_just a cloud away_ vs _happy birthday_

[@alexmanojmathews]

Brilliant

[@yeti4269]

Got me Over here singing triplets and tuplets again

[@-Achilles.]

You sound exactly like Dallas Jenkins lol (not an insult at all lol just noted and I'd like to know if you agree)

[@BassByTheBay]

So, I _can_ play an African bell pattern in a waltz! 😁

[@Thedrummersalmanac]

Bembe’ or Nanigo are good examples.

[@HonkeyKongLive]

I would argue that 6/8 is focusing on 8ths but 3/4 is generally a waltz time. 6/8 is usually the triplet swing, 3/4 is just a simple 1-2-3-1-2-3

[@Cuzjudd]

I feel like the best way to illustrate 3/4 is to play a Waltz