6/8 time explained for kids and parents

In 6/8 time, each bar holds six eighth notes. They are grouped in two sets of three, so the music has two main beats. Count “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6” with a lean on 1 and 4. The music rocks or skips. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is in 6/8.

What the numbers mean

• The 6 means six notes in each bar.
• The 8 means each of those notes is an eighth note.

That is true, and it leaves out the main thing: the six are felt in two groups.

Count	1	2	3	4	5	6
Big beat	ONE			TWO

At a fast speed, players count only the two big beats. Each big beat is a dotted quarter note, which lasts three eighth notes.

Read time signatures explained and dotted notes and ties explained.

6/8 and 3/4

A bar of 6/8 and a bar of 3/4 hold the same six eighth notes. They are grouped in different ways.

Time	Groups	Feel
3/4	Three groups of two	“ONE and TWO and THREE and.” A waltz.
6/8	Two groups of three	“ONE and a TWO and a.” A rocking boat or a skip.

Clap six even claps. Lean on claps 1, 3, and 5, and you have 3/4. Lean on claps 1 and 4, and you have 6/8.

Songs in 6/8

• “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
• “Pop Goes the Weasel”
• “Humpty Dumpty”
• “Hickory Dickory Dock”
• “The Farmer in the Dell”
• “Greensleeves”

Sing one, and pat your knees on the two big beats. Then tap all six small ones.

Pieces in 6/8

“Morning Mood,” by Grieg. A gentle, rocking tune for the flute. See the Peer Gynt guide.

The Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann, by Offenbach. A boat song that sways from side to side.

“The Washington Post,” by Sousa. A march in 6/8. March to it, and feel the skip in each step.

A gigue by Bach. The quick last dance of a suite.

A tarantella. A fast, whirling dance from Italy.

Read dances in classical music.

Notes you will see

Note	Lasts	Where it turns up
Eighth note	One count	Three of them fill one big beat
Quarter note	Two counts	Often followed by an eighth note: long, short
Dotted quarter note	Three counts	One big beat
Dotted half note	Six counts	A whole bar

The pattern “quarter note, eighth note” is the skipping rhythm of 6/8: long, short, long, short.

Eighth notes are joined by beams in threes. The beams show the two groups at a glance.

Simple time and compound time

Musicians sort time signatures into two kinds.

• Simple time. Each beat splits in two. 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 are simple.
• Compound time. Each beat splits in three. 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 are compound.

Time	Big beats in a bar
6/8	Two
9/8	Three
12/8	Four

“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” by Bach, is in 9/8. It flows in three big beats, each made of three notes.

How to count it

Slow music. Count all six: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.”

Fast music. Count the two big beats and fill in the small ones with syllables: “1 and a, 2 and a.”

With a metronome. Set the click to the eighth note for slow practice. Later, set it to the big beat. Read how to use a metronome with a child.

Common mistakes

• Counting it in three. The lean is on 1 and 4, not on 1, 3, and 5.
• Making the skip uneven. “Long, short” is two counts and one count, not three and one.
• Cutting the dotted quarter note short. It lasts a full big beat.

Things to do together

Rock the boat. Sit on the floor facing each other, hold hands, and rock forward and back on the two big beats of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

Two or three? Clap six even claps with a lean on 1 and 4. Then lean on 1, 3, and 5. Ask your child which one sounds like a waltz.

Skip to it. Play a 6/8 march, and skip around the room.

Pat and tap. Pat your knees on 1 and 4. Tap your shoulders on 2, 3, 5, and 6.

Find the beams. Look at a piece in 6/8. Count the eighth notes under each beam.

Sort the songs. Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Humpty Dumpty.” Ask which one skips.

Print and play

Keep the beat with the metronome for kids. Check note lengths on the note values chart. For more games, read rhythm games for kids.