What's the difference between 3/4 time and 6/8?
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Nick was asked how to play a song in 3/4 time and what the difference between 3/4 and 6/8 is. Here he shows how to play in these time signatures and how to identify the differences.
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Abridged Script:
My thanks to Roger in El Paso, Texas for a question about playing a song in ¾ time. The song in question is a Christian Praise song called ‘Great are you Lord’ sung by American duo All Sons and Daughters.
The bulk of the song is a repeated 8 bar sequence played something like this… Here are the chords I am playing.
Now these are nice substitute chords that I picked up from a RUclips lesson that Roger sent me a link to.
But as this is a lesson about strumming, unless you find these chords easy to change quickly between, I am going to suggest you start by using the plain vanilla chords: C Em D D. That way, you can put all your attention on the rhythmic aspects of the strumming pattern.
The RUclips lesson I looked at on this song is great, but it contains one piece of misinformation right at the start of the lesson when the presenter tells you the song is in ¾ time.
Songs in ¾ are usually quite easy to differentiate - their main pulse has a strong feel of being divided by three 123 123 123 with a relatively heavy emphasis on the first beat.
On the guitar, the best way I know of to be certain that you are playing in ¾ time is to play the strong first beat as a bass note and the two weaker beats as strummed chords. So here I am showing this for a basic open C chord. You can see that we are dividing six beats into two identical bars or measures.
1 2 3 1 2 3. A good reference for this is to think of a waltz bass line played on a tuba or sousaphone - oom pah pah oom pah pah
By contrast if we took these two bars of ¾ and converted them to one bar of 6/8 we would need to smooth the rhythm out …and the best way I know to do that on guitar is to reverse the pattern so that we are strumming the first and fourth beats and playing lightly sounded bass notes on beats 2,3,5&6
123456 123456 notice that instead of a predominant 3-beat feel that we get with the ¾ pattern 123 123… we now get more of a two-beat feel. This is why, my preferred way of counting in 6/8 is 1 & a 2 & a …
So that is the basic difference between ¾ and 6/8 - one has a three beat pulse, 123 123… - the other a smoother 2-beat pulse 1&a2&a
Now back to this song. I advise starting by playing the basic 6/8 pattern I just described over the simplified chords like this C Em D D - call that step one.
Do this for an hour or more if necessary, until it feels natural and sound smooth.
You can always double or halve beats in music without affecting the time signature, so the next step might be to double up on the 2nd and 5th beats of each bar like this 1 2&3 4 5&6 and on the 3rd and 6th beats as well 1 2&3& 4 5&6&
Once you have found a pattern that flows nicely for you and that you feel is appropriate for the song then practice that pattern until it becomes second nature.
Then see if you can use this pattern over the slightly more difficult chords that we showed you at the start of this video.
There are quite a few songs out there is 6/8 time so this approach should come in useful for all guitar players who want to improve their rhythm playing abilities.
My thanks again to Roger for raising the question and I hope this advice helps you crack the problems you were having with this particular song.
Hi Nick, I am getting back on the horse. ☺ been a little bit.but I am understanding so more clearer - you teach so clear & you don't show off & make it all about "look at what I can do" type of teaching,. Nick you really do show us how to learn, I'm still learning but it's coming together- I will never quit. Thank6
Concise and very helpful. I've been very confused about that for years.
Great lesson. You and Justin are the teachers I’m understanding and following. You add another dimension or point of view. That I really like. You are not a show off and teach and show only what you are teaching. I love your lesson on strumming. Which breaks away from the prescribed strumming. To mostly strum what you feel. As long as it fits with the song. Cheers Brent
Very well presented! Thanks for this explanation.
perfect understanding of music time, thanks
Man I watched this and another video about strumming tabs. Super helpful. Those patterns crazy and your way is more fun. Also I see you continue to form the embellishments of the chord after the first beat strum which actually sounds great and makes me realize I don't have to work about forming perfect chord as long as base is set. Thx!
hello thank you nick , just reviewing and catching up ! THANK YOU
Great Lesson
Great lesson, thanks Nick.
Thx. Great lesson
Thank you for the guidance. Found it very helpful.
Thank you so much. Wish you the best happy new year 2020.
Thanks❤
Very nice lesson. An illusive difference made clear.
Waltz. I remember when I used to skate there would be 3/4 waltzes & 6/8 waltzes, but I never really paid much attention, I just kept in time doing what ever dance we were skating. 40 years later it starts making sense...
You are the best teacher
Thanks you so much for your clear explanation.
6/8 feels nice and smooth.....
brilliant thank you
Lucy in the Sky is in 3/4
Great lesson!!!!!! Easy to understand
I think there are other ways of playing 6/8 rhythm also .
Thanks
A true mentor
How about helping me.
From Glendale ca.
The song is I believe for every drop of rain that falls.sung by Tom Jones
I really appreciated .
Thanks
So you are saying waltz means only 3/4 and 6/8 is not waltz, you are also considering a song that seems to have simple stress and pulse on down betas but music may not have accents how would anyone differentiate if the pulse is not accented, it's not clear what you are saying the unit of 3/4 is a quarter not and the unit of beat for 6/8 is eighth note, but if the tempos were adjusted still they would be the same
I think the difference of 3/4 and 6/8 is only paper and staff notation but in reality while performing and listening both 3/4 and 6/8 are waltz.
Good lesson Nick is the song Running Scared by Roy Orbison played 3/4 and 6/8.Would be a great song to learn.
the song in 4/4, the 1st and 3rd beats are played as triplets
Very clever
Norwegian wood is in 6 8 time
Good stuff! I found these songs helpful to get the feel of the difference:
Silent Night in 3/4 time |1 2+ 3 | 1 2+ 3 |
Hallelujah in 6/8 time |1 2 3 4 5 6|
Puzzled me for years. Thanks
None except 3/4 is reduced to the smallest denominator
Nice video!
Best .
thank you sir .I'm from Nepal
Not sure whether you'll be able to answer this, but here goes: if you have a bass drum on 1 and 6 and snare on 4, with six evenly played hi-hat hits, in an arpeggio sequence of repeated six notes, this is deinfitely 6/8? Or is it not that simple? Do you need to hear the way the six notes are picked to be able to tell? I find it insanely difficult to differentiate between 3 and 6 with certain songs! Thanks :)
@@SecretGuitarTeacher I think it's 6 then. The guitar pick patterm emphasises the fourth note in the sequence. Thank you for replying, that's kind of you :-)
3/4 is more 'staccato
Ummmm, more beats per measure?
Could you please explain half time or cut time vs 2/4 time or is it all the same?
SecretGuitarTeacher I appreciate you so much. You have a genuine talent for the guitar plus making it easier to understand.
Because of your accent ,i assume you might also know the guy on here also from UK ruclips.net/user/AdrianPWoodward JES' KIDDING of course) i do think a lot of people,looking at that bottom line at 3:21 will think all those D'S mean play a D chord even though it is pretty clearly explained in the video
Today m the 8th Viewer... :)
Thanks ❤