What's the difference between 3/4 and 6/8 time?

📌NOTE: I chose to cut "Subterranean Homesick Alien" by Radiohead out of this video due to copyright issues. Sorry!
There is often confusion and disagreement when it comes to whether a song is in 3/4 time or 6/8 time. Although some songs can fit equally well into 3/4 or 6/8, usually one of these two meters is the far more obvious and intuitive choice when transcribing or conceptualizing a given piece of music. Let's look at the differences between these two time signatures and also at how they interact with similar meters such as 9/8 or 12/8.
Stream my new EP "The Longest March" at Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ...
or download it at Bandcamp: davidbennettpiano.bandcamp.com/
Thank you to Young Man for his feedback on this video! 🎵
And, an extra special thanks goes to Vidad Flowers, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano
0:00 Introduction
0:26 3/4 vs. 6/8
2:48 how does 3/4 actually sound?
3:20 how does 6/8 actually sound?
3:53 "America" from West Side Story
4:23 slow 6/8 sounds like 3/4
5:09 fast 3/4 sounds like 6/8
6:15 GUESS THE TIME SIGNATURE!
8:57 3:2 polyrhythms
9:54 6/8 vs. 12/8
11:17 3/4 vs. 9/8
13:50 outro

[@DavidBennettPiano]

📌NOTE: I chose to cut "Subterranean Homesick Alien" by Radiohead out of this video due to copyright issues. Sorry!

[@Han-D4ror2]

Nice!

[@neverclosetoperfect]

would you ever consider a video on the way that time signatures are used in math rock/mathcore?

[@aaron22bernards]

Is SHA IN 6/8 or 3/4? Why I can see myself swinging like a pendulum to it or waltzing...

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

@Aaron Bernards Subterranean Homesick Alien is actually in 12/8 because it has four triplets in each measure. For example in the chorus, the word “uptight” comes in on the eighth beat. “Up” is a quarter note (2 eighths) and “tight” is a dotted-quarter note (3 eighths), so the word is sung over beats 8 to 12. 6/8 time follows a similar formula but the measure is (obviously) half as long, and songs in 6/8 generally have a faster tempo than songs in 12/8. Generally speaking, but not always.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849 12/8 and 6/8 are largely interchangeable (as mentioned in this video). But I do think that the best choice of meter for Subterranean Homesick is 6/8, and you will find most transcriptions use 6/8.

[@violacola]

If we're waltzing, it's 3/4. If we're swashbuckling, it's 6/8.

[@Phicheee]

Good analogy!

[@timmccarthy872]

Por que no los dos?

[@ganaraminukshuk0]

If it's both at once, is it swaltzbuckling?

[@snookerwither9955]

I agree! 6/8 always makes me think of pirates, maybe because of the song The Captain by Biffy Clyro

[@krishnaparigi2411]

@@timmccarthy872 je suis études français maintenant. Je ne comprends le msg. Je suis très mauvais à français 😂😂😆😆🤣😅😅. Que tu dis dans ton message

[@nemonomen3340]

I used to be so confused by how these were supposed to be different. Now I understand that musicians just love to invent new ways to give themselves migraines. Great video!

[@FeelingENTITLED]

🤣😂🤣

[@Idk_yet921]

I have played in my high school marching band for 3 years and I think the reason we use different time signatures is sometimes different time signatures help to stay in time. Sometimes you might have a quarter note and a eighth note tied together so when the conductor is in 6/8 we can tell when to switch to the next note easier when he makes one swing instead of in 3/4 where we would have to wait a swing and a half. 6/8 would tell us exactly when we have to start the next note and it makes it easier.

[@jeremypielago9383]

All I understand is when the tempo is slow it is 6/8 and when its fast it is 3/4 hahaha correct me if im wrong

[@lunaticsolis]

​@@jeremypielago9383it's mainly the way you count beats. In 3/4 you count the beats as 1 2 3, and in 6/8 you count 123 123.

[@liamnevilleviolist1809]

​@@jeremypielago9383 well: a 3/4 time signature is counted as 3 x 2 crotchets, each "accent" or "strong beat" falling only on beat 1 and then fading out.... while 6/8 has an "accent" or "strong beat" on both the 1st and second beat (first set of three quavers, then the second set of three quavers). This wouldn't work with a 3/4 time signature.

[@lloydsumpter7735]

The thing I use to differentiate 3/4 and 6/8 is the strength of the first beat of the triplet. In 3/4 it's always the same, but in 6/8 there's a BOOM-da-da-Bim-da-da... in other words the first beat alternates between strong and not-so-strong.

[@joe44850]

Nice

[@chrisdick2305]

To be so clear and so comprehensive is a rare gift. Simply the best music teacher on the web. Heading for Patreon now.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@thepatternplayback]

This is what I've been needing. 3/4 is a waltz feel and 6/8 feels like a pendulum. Subscribed just for that bit alone. Great information!

[@emily-clairedonaghue3133]

Although 3/8 time is apparently the correct time signature for waltz... The real question is "what's the difference between 3/4 and 3/8?"...

[@wakdoj]

swing the walts

[@angelusresonance6954]

I chose 3/4 for my piece, even noticed another piece that sounds kind of like mine is written in 3/4, it seemed to work, though it doesn't look right, I was wondering if it was 6/8, haven't seen this video yet, but this will be interesting. Hmm there seems to be 6 1/8 notes, though the way I structured the piece, it doesn't sound like a waltz, it sounds much more detailed and complex, I use a lot of 1/32, 1/16, dotted 1/8, 1/8, and triplets in my piece, hmm, I I guess I could figure this out by a metronome or a simple drum sample to see, though most of my work is so complex.

[@spynx5037]

@@emily-clairedonaghue3133 the second number

[@johne1599]

@@emily-clairedonaghue3133What song have you seen scored in 3/8?

[@mikeprice25]

As soon as you said swinging like a pendulum I understood the whole thing

[@edmtheorist]

Yes, that really helped me a lot as well.

[@bernardosiu]

Yep, right there.

[@TroyBlackford]

I fourth that! I wish to god my sense of rhythm was as developed as my understanding of melody and harmony. Not to say I'm some kind of hamonic/melodic expert, but I at least *get* it. The rhythm thing's a real deficit with me, which has held me back for almost two decades. But that little mental comparison made me understand the concept instantly and I got all ten of his little training examples right. I say that not to brag, because it wasn't my doing, it was Mr. David's. I always enjoy these videos, but this was an eye opener.

[@simonmartin4599]

Whether I want rock my finger to the bar or tap my finger to the bar

[@alvislarson7853]

Same

[@katariina7697]

I was like "Ah, pendulum!" and proceeded to get almost none of the songs right. I still like the metaphor.

[@Big_Bag_of_Pus]

"My Favorite Things" still feels like 6/8 to me -- at the tempo presented, I feel a pendulum going back and forth. For the Snarky Puppy song, I had a tough time figuring out anything about the rhythm at all. All the rest were straightforward given your explanation.

[@ocarinamom2915]

same for me with My Favorite Things, and also Delila. But as told in the video, a quick 3/4 can sound as a 6/8, so I guess that's why

[@dworkenlaw1]

Agreed. My Favorite Things is often used as a 6/8 waltz for ice dancing competitions.

[@AreGulbrandsen]

Agree about "My Favorite Things". For me it might be because I have listened a lot to John Coltrane's Favorite Things, which is definitely in 6/8.

[@araparseghian2]

@@AreGulbrandsen Interesting, I've always thought of the John Coltrane version as 3/4 primarily because it's slower than the Sound of Music version, which clearly sounds 6/8 to me.

[@SkylerWallaceUS]

The biggest giveaway for 3/4 and 6/8 is that there is a middle note in the pulse of the BPM for 3/4. A lot of the examples provided aren't great as many of the 3/4 songs didn't have any middle note (eighth note) in the pulse except for Binky by Snarky Puppy. I'd also argue that My Favorite Things is definitely 6/8.

[@felipegalvao9418]

I believe that the key to discover a song's time signature is the drums. It gives you the way a song feels.

[@jenniplease]

As a drummer, I came here to say this. Listen for where your drummer is putting downbeats and backbeats.

[@Tavat]

Yep!

[@andyanders]

The drums maybe, but the bassline most assuredly in pop, rock and other radio music, and not at all in classical, or symphonic (generally). A competent bassplayer will, by the feel he gives it (what beats he stresses) outline the groove for the drummer, who may choose the same pocket, or play inside or outside, depending...

[@mmartinisgreat]

Oh yeah you think so

[@omnipop4936]

Yeah. For me, on 3/4 vs. 6/8, if a drummer is emphasizing the one, the three and the five, (ONE-two-THREE-four-FIVE-six), it's more waltz (3/4) feel, whereas if the emphasis is on the one and the four, (ONE-two-three-FOUR-five six), it's more "oldie" (6/8) (e.g., Elvis, "Can't Help Falling In Love.")

[@longschlongsilver7628]

It took a while to wrap my head around this concept, but I eventually realised years later that 3/4 is 3 beats, while 6/8 is 2 beats, in triplets

[@76JStucki]

Well, triplets are actually a different thing. In terms of the feel, 6/8 feels like 2/4 with 8th note triplets. Or 9/8 could also be written as 3/4 with triplets. Technically however, 6/8 is 6 beats, not 2. The 6 beats are divided into 2 pulses. Compositionally, it's much simpler to notate in 6/8 rather than to write constant triplet or sextuplet notation in 2/4. 6/8 or 9/8 are also less flexible than 2/4 or 3/4 in terms of rhythmic interpretation and feel. Although I guess that's more of a standard practice thing than a technical difference.

[@calebnation7797]

I was always taught to feel 6/8 in two. And that’s a great way to distinguish it by ear, bc 3/4 is often very hard to feel in 2

[@downhill2k013]

Depends, I sometimes think of it as three groups of 2 Idk if that’s accurate tho lmao

[@JimC]

When I learned about fractions as a child, I wondered why there were two different time signatures because reducing the fraction 6/8 to lowest terms gives you the fraction 3/4. Eventually I realized the difference.

[@doitnowvideosyeah5841]

If it feels like an Irish song when strummed on a guitar, it is 6/8

[@nungu60a]

As a west African our music is steeped in polyrhythmic patterns, we grow up feeling and playing. It's difficult trying to teach it. Your visuals are very helpful and very concise. Good job!

[@ebonyreeves885]

Over 10 years of confusion answered and rectified in 10 minutes!!!!! You’re amazing! Thank you thank you for giving me the answer to my hair pulling. This video is damn gold!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!!!

[@QuirqUK]

It's a lot easier when there's a drumkit, just see where the snare falls

[@isaiahneilguitaristofficia549]

That’s one way,however what is most important is where the kick drum falls, because where the “one” is more important than the backbeat which is usually on the 2nd beat.Some Waltzes the snare is on the one, and some are not.... Metallica “One” is an example of 3/4 where the snare is not on the one.(during the verses).

[@nibblrrr7124]

​@@isaiahneilguitaristofficia549 I'd say if there _is_ a snare backbeat, then it's 6/8 (or 12/8). Classic waltz beat to me is kick-snare-snare, and I would say it doesn't have a backbeat at all. Also, do you happen to have some examples of waltzes with (non-brush) snare on 1? Funkier genres may push or omit the kick on the 1, though I actually can't think of an example in 6/8... (Also, I love _One,_ but Lars Ulrich is known to do weird things - which sometimes works amazing, sometimes not so much... :D)

[@von_freiesleben64]

Well what if the drummer just plays in 16th notes in 3/4? Sounds exactly the same is 8ths in 6/8.

[@BradsGonnaPlay]

@@von_freiesleben64 because this mode of simple/compound analysis is bullshit and muddled by 150 years of modern jazz music and the thousands of genres spawned therein. Seriously, using 17th century analysis in modern era is occasionally as useless and prescriptive as it gets.

[@von_freiesleben64]

@@BradsGonnaPlay ok so in reality there is no fucking difference and this video was pointless?

[@GoviaM]

of course there's a beatles song in this video

[@mikeprice25]

More like of course there's a Radiohead song in this video and it's focused on quite substantially

[@kjl3080]

Yeah those two

[@GoviaM]

@@kjl3080 oh hi i watch ur vids

[@pierreyveshuet1763]

and Radiohead

[@kjl3080]

@@GoviaM nice

[@jamesa901]

This was really good! I've been playing for 46 of my 54 years, and I don't think I've ever seen/heard the difference stated and exemplified so clearly. I have an innate understanding and feel, but I could never have explained it the way you did. Bach uses 9/8 and 12/8 extensively, and generally I need to listen to the piece to truly understand it. Your video helped. Very good! Got 100% BTW!

[@fshepinc]

The classic song "Send In The Clowns" from Sondheim's A Little Night Music is usually thought of as a waltz in 3/4, but it was written in alternating 12/8 and 9/8 -and is often transcribed in different meters, including 4/4 with the addition of triplets.

[@phoebebaker1575]

Wow!

[@JayForeman]

What time signature do you think Back to the Old House by the Smiths is? My brain latches onto completely different rhythms on the acoustic and full band versions.

[@GoviaM]

hi jay

[@TJD.8]

AYYYY JAY FOREMAN

[@DavidBennettPiano]

I hear both as 6/8. Although it’s certainly clearer on the full band version thanks to the placement of the snare drum 😃😃

[@kilgoretrout3966]

@@DavidBennettPiano i am inclined to agree, although i have yet to post a video on music, but its coming...also "Perfect Day", i've always heard as 12/8.

[@teuast]

What is this, a crossover episode?

[@cmyk8964]

I like to use the non-music-theory term “ticks per beat” to explain 3/4 vs 6/8. 3/4 has 3 beats per measure, 2 ticks per beat. ①・②・③・ 6/8 has 2 beats per measure, 3 ticks per beat. ①・・②・・

[@williamreid6255]

I’ve always found heartbeat of all things to be in 6/8 “Lub dub . Lub dub .”

[@cmyk8964]

West Side Story’s “America” alternates between the two so it’s a great illustration 6/8: *I* like to *be* in A- 4/3: *me-ri-ca*

[@FeelingENTITLED]

Now, I totally learned the difference between the 2 time signatures upon reading your comment.

[@snailcheeseyt]

@@williamreid6255 well my heart beat is in 1/2

[@jesusvera7941]

ah i understand now, thats so simple way to explain it, so, a 3/4 is 3 beats while 6/8 are only 2 beats in he exact same time, well their names are very misleading

[@ryryshredder148]

A lot of songs depend on if you are listening to vocals or instruments. America by S&G is sung in 3/4 but played in 6/8.

[@quantummidget]

Great video. As somebody who's not very musical, I've often been a bit confused by this, and while some tempos still confuse me, this has helped a lot

[@JonathanGasper]

The clue is in the articulation, for example: In the Alicia Keys song, relationship between the kick drum and snare makes the 6/8 clear, where in otherwise might not be.

[@stutty1400]

Exactly, the relationship between all parts of the music can determine the time signature at that point in the music.

[@warfalcon2137]

I have been asking this question for years. No one has explained this in such a concise and easy-to-understand form. Thank you so much! I had never heard of simple vs compound time. This makes a lot more sense now!

[@trevorcorso473]

Good for you. I'm just as confused as ever.

[@PurpleHat__Real]

Fr, my past band director used to just say “6 beats per measure 8th note gets the beat”; that literally made things even more confusing for me cuz I was trying to put simple time into compound (which I had no idea existed until this video)

[@wakdoj]

@@PurpleHat__Real that's exactly what he said, like on 0:39 (ur director). he just didn't explain it.

[@ianmccarthy894]

@@trevorcorso473 the clearest explanation I had was years ago from my drum teacher. I no longer recall his exact words but my understanding at the time was as follows: The time signature isn’t a ‘fraction’ (this misunderstanding is the only reason 3/4 & 6/8 have been probably compared in this video). The top number is the only one that really matters in terms of the music and describes the beats in the bar, or what you count. The bottom number is what symbol is used for 1 beat. In theory it could be an ‘x’ or a picture of a banana, it doesn’t really make a difference to what’s played, only how you write it. 3/4 would sound the same as 3/8 you just use 1/8 note symbols for each beat. So why does 6/8 have two beats!? Well, in my view it should be referred to as 2/4 time, two beats to a bar. But from experience/familiarity musicians would know that 6/8 music has a ‘triplet feel’. Rather than counting for two bars: 1 2 1 2. Or 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 +. You count 1 & a 2 & a 1 & a 2 & a. So really the 6/8 is just half a bar of 4/4 time and played as triplets (12/8 is a full 4/4 bar played as triplets: 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a). A drummer for 6/8 time would typically play bass drum on 1 and the snare drum on 2 (or 4 if you’re counting to 6), but 3 times on the high hat for each of the two beats to give it the triplet feel. “boom tsh tsh bap tsh tsh” I’ve possibly confused things! but I tried 😀

[@trevorcorso473]

@@ianmccarthy894 "possibly confused" ? thanks for rying

[@davidbingley6734]

I learn so much from these. I love how respectful you are with your knowledge.

[@SomeOnSunday]

Thanks for this & loving that music you wrote at the end! Really beautiful & cinematic.

[@singerofsongs468]

Wanna melt my heart? Put a song in 6/8 and give it a rolling piano arpeggio.

[@singerofsongs468]

Soldier’s Poem by Muse, Cantique de Jean Racine by Fauré, Norman Fucking Rockwell by Lana Del Rey, Oh! Darling, by The Beatles, to name a few :)

[@Kat-nd5fq]

Not piano, but it's in 6/8 and has an arpeggio on clean guitar. Listen to Hollow by Pantera.

[@LafayetteSunsetMusic]

I’m guessing this is probably where it came from but Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

[@jonahpennington6668]

@@singerofsongs468 dude soldiers poem was literally the first song that came into my head and I'm not even a big muse fan

[@faulebber]

@@Kat-nd5fq Man of culture.

[@chrisfreedman1707]

This video is one of your best, from the explanation to the quiz at the end. Nice job!!

[@ericrobertsmusic]

This is the most comprehensive summary of the subject I’ve come across. Really well done. Thank you!

[@miketackett4283]

Besides classical music, ‘9/8 used as compound triple time’ is also found in traditional Celtic music where it is referred to as a slip jig. A tune in 6/8 time is your basic jig (technically a double jig) and in 12/8 time you get what’s called a ‘slide’. Because of the strong pulse in all these time signatures, they are relatively easy to pick out.

[@doitnowvideosyeah5841]

Yes! Irish music! If it feels like a jig I think 6/8. I had trouble with 9/8 until I realized it was just another way of doing 3/4. As in ' Jesu joy of Man's Desiring

[@mwdiers]

Yep! Being a trad player, I didn't know what 9/8 was called in a jazz context. But even though a jazz waltz and a slip jig are both in 9/8, the jazz waltz rhythm wouldn't work on a slip jig, or at minimum it would get you thrown out of a session, especially if you are on bodhran. ;)

[@williamreid6255]

Oh yeah! The only examples I’ve run across are Bach’ classic _Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring_ and _The Night We Met_ by Lord Huron (although the time signature does change a lot to fit the beat, if that makes sense)

[@penponds]

@@mwdiers ironic that although 9/8 known as jazz waltz, it’s largely only written as such in Classical music - plenty of it in Bach and other Baroque composers ;-)

[@wakdoj]

6/8 is duple time. 9/8 is triple time. 12/8 is a quadruple time.

[@dimitreze]

what a coincidence I'm writing a song right now that is in 6/8 with some parts in 3/4 I'm using Dig a Pony as inspiration. It's no really clear if it's 6/8 or 3/4.

[@nibblrrr7124]

Listening to _Dig a Pony_ for the first time (cool song!), I'd say it's clearly 6/8 with swung 16ths (with halved bars of 3/8 thrown in). The intro also fits 3/4 with swung 8ths, but that doesn't work with the drum backbeat that starts with the verse. (A recurring snare on the 1 of every second 3/4 bar doesn't really make sense. - cf. the _Fallin'_ example 8:00)

[@leonardohonorato3652]

I was linstening Dig a Pony all this week and I think that time signature give a lot of "groove" to the song, its amazing

[@rileymerino6340]

@@nibblrrr7124 I would disagree. I think the argument can be made for either but it feels way more 3/4 to me and if I was writing a sheet for it it would make more sense to me to write it in 3.

[@3borg]

To me it sounds like 3/4 divided into triplets

[@nibblrrr7124]

​@@rileymerino6340 Huh. I generally prefer writing swung 8ths over 16ths. But once the verse starts, at least the drummer would be confused by playing the snare on the 1 of every second bar. Also, I'd want to make the weird number of beats clear in the form of time signature changes, instead of notating everything in 3.

[@DaveRossignol]

Best explanation of the delta between 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures I’ve seen on KZbin. Thank you!

[@SethSchoenfeld]

The closing piece of music was a very very beautiful, tender, complex, example of use of these time signatures. Thank you!

[@dankers12]

What a great explanation. I got most of the examples right but more importantly I really like the format of showing us something then having us try it for ourselves. It really helps and I hope you continue it!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks! I’m glad it worked!

[@pabloraposo9820]

6/8 time is my favorite time signature 😌

[@mr.e5501]

beach boys + 6/8 time signature is best

[@Wolf-Spirit_Alpha-Sigma]

My favorite time signature? 6/9. Nice. I'll see myself out, just let me get my coat, where did I hang it. Oh wait, I'm still wearing it...

[@ErikNapitu]

6/8 = EPIC!!

[@andrewbattelini4532]

Seriously great breakdown of this. I've always had trouble wrapping my head around the words to describe time signature differences instead of just feeling them, but hot damn you nailed it!

[@DASUTUser]

I've been studying music for many years, and I've never heard this explained so clearly and comprehensively. Well done!

[@commiecunt1312]

I've always wanted to know the difference between 3/4 and 6/8, its so confusing

[@CJmummy]

If you can waltz to it it’s most likely in 3/4. If you can sway it’s more likely to 6/8

[@yokotoka]

But this video looks like lie and fiction. So me too want to know really difference.

[@earhornjones]

Wow. That was super clear and concise. I've seen professors spend days covering this material and leaving behind a room full of bewildered students. Nicely done, sir.

[@mackinbox]

This was an incredibly clear and helpful explanation. Thanks so much! Subbed

[@rodrossguitarlessons4693]

Thanks David for this excellent video. This is the best explanation I have heard on this and leads smoothly into the idea of polyrhythms. Great job 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 😊

[@zeynepcanik3947]

Very helpful video! You explain things clearly and simple even though topic seems confusing. Please keep making videos! 🎹

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you! I will do!

[@cardiganweather]

I agree! Especially clarifying that 6/8 can often feel like 2 beats. That helped a lot.

[@yusdrum91]

the feels are different. especially when approaching the subdivisions

[@outofthemusicboxpianostudio]

Nicely explained. And I like your composition at the end.

[@xiwiwix]

Dude, your channel is so good. Thank you for your videos and effort.

[@alynawatersmusic]

I’ve tried to explain this and you did it SO PERFECTLY that I’m just going to send people to your video from now on. Kudos. *Really* well done. Also, having listened to a lot of Simon & Garfunkel, I suspect it is 6/8.

[@reillywalker195]

Some of the chord changes in "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" made me think it was in 6/8, but at least now I know what 12/8 sounds like.

[@jackhammer_au9961]

Best explanation of the difference between the 2 time signatures I’ve ever heard. Well done David!

[@acprado67]

This channel is amazing, even for a brazilian like me. The language is not a problem due to your clarity on explaining, not to mention the great examples you bring! I play bass, not piano, but I´m interested in harmony and this channel is fantastic for learning or remember someting we miss trough the years

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you! That is great to hear! 😀

[@jaapsch2]

To me My Favourite Things and Delilah sounded more like 6/8. In the first it was because the bass line alternates low and high for each triplet, making it feel like a full cycle consists of two triplets. Similarly, in Delilah only the first of each pair of triplets has the bass accentuating its first note.

[@williamreid6255]

Or, like in 7 Rings, it could’ve been in 2/4 using triplets (and yeah Ik 7 Rings is in 4/4 aka common time)

[@arnauorengoguardiola1616]

My thoughts exactly, I guessed them all right except these two, but I would say, like he mentions, that you can consider both time signatures for these songs (fast 3/4 or slow 6/8)

[@SusanCallHutchison]

Yes! Delilah was the one I got "wrong." It was the alternating bass that made the pair of 3/4 measures sound like a single 6/8 measure at that speed. It also seemed to have kind of a "jig" 6/8 feel. Though, I admit it would be easier to waltz to Delilah than jig to it. :)

[@exaltron]

I think it's a lot more subjective than this video presents it. For example a couple of the examples he had as 3/4 had something that could have been interpreted as two strong beats for each triplet group as you said. Even Dylan's "Times They are a Changin'" has a different strum at the beginning of each set of three. But since all three strums are roughly the same in terms of how loud they are, it makes sense to point to 3/4. When I teach this as part of basic theory my goal is to get students to think about accents, emphasis and strong vs weak beats, but I also point to how subjective this can be when the difference between strong and weak beats is subtle.

[@antonellomascarello4698]

It's wouldn't be enough to just use words to express the amazing musician/teacher you are. Been following you for the last two years. You helped a lot. Thank you very much ! Cheers from Italy 🇮🇹😀

[@OJB42]

I could never figure this out before and I wasn't sure if I understood your explanation, but I got them all right so you did a good job in explaining it. Well done!

[@kristoffer9400]

Very informative and illustrative video, that really help clear my confusion regarding these time signatures. While I still am not a 100% confident in distinguishing between them, you have illustrated why.

[@mikevalentinas6766]

As a drummer I tend to count 6/8 in 2/4 or 4/4 but with triplets, because that way the backbeat is on the 2 and 4 like most 4/4 music.

[@juliusphua2447]

Same. I just count whichever way feels most intuitive

[@dgrjazz]

Thank you. I was reading the comments and thought about about the back beat in so many of the great soul ballads that are in 12/8 or 6/8. Back Beat be a great thing for David to explain.

[@MonsieurBiga]

Me before watching: "bs, there's no difference..." Me watching: finds all the time signatures correctly (except one) Guess there IS a difference after all

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😃

[@henrik6739]

Same

[@PaulTheEldritchCat]

Same here, I couldn't really tell any difference before watching, and I got most time signatures correct. I wish I could recognise intervals with the same ease.

[@inigo137]

@@DavidBennettPiano ty for being such a good teacher

[@chrisw4997]

DBP is great at this kind of thing!

[@the40inchtaco]

FINALLY. I finally understand the difference. Great video, the examples really help you feel it. Thank you!

[@zenaniv]

Beautiful composition. Thank you for the video. It's helped me to understand the difference.

[@artcamp7]

I learn so much from your videos. The kind of things I feel like I should know already but even my teacher isn't able to clearly explain so that I understand it. You're a really good teacher. Very basic without being simple. It's great.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks! That means a lot 😃😃😃

[@huckthatdish]

To my completely untrained ear, I feel the swinging in Simon and Garfunkel’s America. The 6/8 felt like it aligned more to what I felt inside.

[@monsieuremile]

Great tutorial! And nice broad range examples.

[@michaelkovalenko1429]

Wow. Great explanation and visualization!

[@omarjericoagcaoili7877]

Thank you David. You made me understand the difference of these time signatures. Please continue making good videos. I am always waiting for your uploads. Thank you.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😃😃

[@MyXAHOB]

Snarky Puppy - binky seems like more polymetr vibe, rather than 3/4

[@alexiacerwinskipierce8114]

I very surprisingly got them all correct. Just started learning piano and still trying to wrap my head around time signatures. This video was a great help thanks 😊

[@toddmoore4541]

Love the examples. Hearing these 3/4 vs 6/8 songs contrasted did the trick!

[@AlbertGenower]

Since you challenged us with the 10 examples: I challenge you to go an entire video without any Beatles or Radiohead!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

That’s inhumane

[@isaiahneilguitaristofficia549]

😂

[@isaiahneilguitaristofficia549]

He could have used Billy Joel for 3/4 and Journey for 6/8 instead of the Beatles and Radiohead... Or the Eagles except The Eagles would just block the video, so never mind.😂

[@lakrids-pibe]

But I come here for Beatles. :´(

[@kilgoretrout3966]

@@lakrids-pibe a good amount of the places i go are for the Beatles.

[@meredithinserra4670]

I teach music theory and other college music courses at my local college in the US. I appreciate you using the American terminology as well as the British terminology, like "quavers," "crotchets." My students get to learn about theory AND they get to learn what these things are called on the other side of the "pond." I moved to Scotland for 5 years to do research on traditional Scottish folk singing. When discussing music with other musicians in Scotland I quickly realized I was not prepared. I had heard the British terms before and I knew terms like that referred to rhythmic value but I didn't know them well enough to use the terms or understand them without looking them up. Your videos will help my students be more prepared than I was! It's a shrinking world and we connect with people all over the world every day now.

[@tonyjabroni7205]

Ugh, ilysm. Super super helpful, thank you!

[@selftaughtmusicguide]

Your explanation is really awesome!

[@OscillationLoop]

Thank you dude: this was really informative, interesting, and well delivered. 👍

[@BrunoVasco]

12/8 makes sense to me when you can feel the 4/4 underneath it

[@joseph-zoramcbride4029]

Totally. I can feel it in Meshuggah's The Demon's Name is Surveillance, which I believe is in 12/8. Great stuff!

[@jenniplease]

You’d be feeling a polyrhythm of the 8th subdivision against the 3/8 per pulse subdivision - which is cool to use 😎

[@gregory06]

I mean it's still all just notation. You can write America in 3/4 for the entirety. It just sort of helps the reader get the feel of the music better. There's no actual audible difference, just context for the reader of the music. You can write marches in 2/4 or cut time or even 4/4.

[@zadavsanatomy131]

Super helpful, thanks! Loved your channel ❤️

[@OnyxSkiesXIX]

This has been one of the most informative and illuminating videos I have ever seen! Thank you!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Great! 😃😃😃

[@bryanadamik6839]

Thank you David. I'm an amateur guitarist-Musician and this presentation is helping me a lot to understand what I never knew before!

[@danbegelman]

Great video explaining these time signatures. I will use this video with some of my students (guitar & bass) to help them understand these differences. And the song examples used were spot on. I especially liked how you used "America" to showcase alternating 6/8 to 3/4 measure to measure. I'll definitely remember that one as an example, as I can't right off hand think of another. The genius of Leonard Bernstein.

[@GlibiettopGringoNorman]

in summary, one is ABABAB and one is ABBABB.

[@TM-zq7qx]

The question here is: which is which? 😱

[@Shiftdougler]

Brilliant!

[@scotta316]

Thanks for this video! I've struggled with this question since I learned to read music, and this is the first time I've felt like I'm not the only one. Your explanation helped a lot, especially the part about 6/8 feeling like it's going back and forth like a pendulum, but I still got about half of the examples wrong.

[@nee_nee_]

Watching these videos I feel like when I was little answering to Dora the explorer.

[@maurmi]

Good analogy! 😁

[@joe44850]

Great video, very helpful with this concept and holy crap, someone finally mentioned Elliott Smith!

[@loganrehn3916]

You may be the best teacher on KZbin! You put so much content into your videos. I appreciate you very much

[@annam8380]

Using different colors for each time signature made this a lot easier to understand. Thanks!

[@clareswannell7161]

I understood it..but this is so well articulated- it just increases the depth of my understanding, and would help to explain to others much more clearly than I would have before viewing. Thanks.

[@_kobeats]

that name dropping at the end was 🔥🔥🔥 great content! Thank you very much sirr

[@enkiitu]

Argentinian “chacarera’s” folk rhythm has coexisting 3/4 and 6/8 all the time. It’s a really fun and versatile time signature.

[@yoo571]

I've always feel something different in that rhythm but idk why I thought that folklore music was all in 4/4, stupid me I guess

[@halflanding1900]

Interesting! Would you be able to provide a link to a KZbin video example? Edit: Or just names of popular songs in this genre are fine, then I can search for them.

[@enkiitu]

@@halflanding1900 lemme check if I find good examples.

[@albertojurado575]

If thats what i think it is its called “emiola”, right? Mexican music has that a lot, too. You can hear it in sones, marichi and huapangos

[@lennartschandl]

@@albertojurado575 its “hemiola”, but yes! if 6/8 and 3/4 are played at the same time, its a vertical hemiola or 3:2 polyrhythm.

[@omnipop4936]

Yeah, to "hear" (in my head) the difference between 3/4 and 6/8, the thing that always helped me was to count to six while putting emphasis on different numbers. So for 3/4, I'll emphasize the one, the three and the five: "ONE-two-THREE four-FIVE-six". Whereas for 6/8, I'll emphasize only the one and the four: "ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six". This works pretty well, but yeah it does still get dicey when the tempo goes way up on 3/4 or way down on 6/8. Cheers.

[@georgejoseph837]

A classic demonstration dear, thankyou

[@cynthiastory8603]

Wow, really good lesson on 3/4 and 6/8. Thank you David. I really learned a lot. Blessings and Shalom 🎊 🎹🎊🎵🎊🎹🎊👏👏👏🙂

[@dkikac]

Another great video!!! Swinging like a pendulum is very good analogy, I never paid much attention to this before, but 6/8 really feels like swinging, that helped me get almost all songs right

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks! I’m glad it helped 😃😃

[@Josh.Proctor]

Heeeeey.... I've always had difficulty understanding these two. But after your explanation and examples, I nailed all of the test songs. Thanks! I still need some more ear training, but this was a nice little lesson and test.

[@dodoguitar2415]

Thank you so much! This the best time signature explanation ever!

[@davidmaddox1216]

Bernard Hermann's brilliant theme for the classic Hitchcock film North by Northwest plays with switching between 6/8 and 3/4. Also, another example of 9/8 is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas. (It's the song Mickey Mouse prances around to in Fantasia.)

[@anarchocommie4743]

I've always had an issue with this! Thanks for the video

[@DavidBennettPiano]

It’s a common point of confusion! I’m glad the video was helpful 😃😃

[@ivo4304]

I was never able to really get my head around the difference, but I finally got it lol Really appreciate the great explanation!

[@gonzalovilches5317]

Wonderful video and examples. Just so you know, here in Chile we have "cueca" (part of our folklore dance and songs), which is also written in 6/8. One of the most well-known cueca songs is called "La Consentida", maybe you could check it out.

[@juliekinghorn3158]

Nice piece at the end, and thanks for the clarification.

[@Nikioko]

Short answer: the metre is different. 3/4 has a 3 beats per bar (♩ ♩ ♩), 6/8 has 2 beats per bar (♩. ♩.) And likewise 9/8 has 3 beats per bar: ♩. ♩. ♩.

[@the1gip]

Beautiful Dreamer is a good example of 9/8 that isn't just a swung 3/4

[@MyJ2B]

Great choice of tunes to illustrate the different rhythmic "feel" or "pulse" of these time signatures that is hard to show "on paper" but easier to grasp "by ear". Thank you, Jerry (jazz guitarist)

[@peteramos3792]

Really Informative. I could stand more of this

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Good!!

[@lundamark]

Brilliant. The concept of feeling 3 or 2 draws a line under it. Another excellent video.