This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on 6/8 is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
6/8 time is a time signature in Western musical notation which dictates that each bar must consist of six quaver (eighth-note) beats. It is made up of two dotted crochet beats (Quarter notes) per bar, and as such the pulse falls on the first quaver beat and the fourth quaver beat (the first and the second dotted crochet). This time signature is not to be confused with the 12/8 signature.
Accentuation in Western Music
In all Western music (whatever the time signature), certain beats of each bar are inherently accented (played slightly louder) by the performer. In 6/8 the accented beats are usually the 1st and the 4th, or else the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th (most commonly in jazz, rock and country).
Music can also be performed in 6/8 with a two-beat triplet feel (where the 1st and 4th beats act as beats 1 and 2).
The notes are grouped in two dotted crotchets per bar.
See also
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 11 November 2008, at 20:56.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "6/8".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.