Why 6/8 does not feel like 3/4
Keep six eighth notes at the same speed and change their grouping. Hear three groups of two become two groups of three.
Try this rhythm
Enable JavaScript to play this example here. You can read the complete lesson below.
Explore the practice toolsBoth 3/4 and 6/8 can contain six eighth notes per bar. Their usual beat groupings give those notes a different feel.
Start in 3/4 and count three groups of two: ONE-and, TWO-and, THREE-and. Switch to 6/8 and count two groups of three: ONE-and-a, TWO-and-a. The eighth notes keep the same spacing; only the accents change.
Listen for the larger steps
In 3/4, the usual main beat is a quarter note. Each of the three beats in the bar divides into two eighth notes. In 6/8, the usual main beat is a dotted quarter note. Each of the two beats divides into three eighth notes.
Tap only on the strong clicks to feel the difference. Your tapping changes from three beats per bar to two while the eighth notes continue at the same speed.
Know which beat the tempo measures
This player always displays quarter-note BPM. Keeping that reference fixed lets you change the grouping while holding the eighth-note speed steady.
At 80 BPM, a quarter note lasts 0.75 seconds and an eighth note lasts 0.375 seconds. The dotted-quarter beat in 6/8 contains three eighth notes, so it lasts 1.125 seconds. That is about 53.3 dotted-quarter beats per minute. The displayed 80 BPM still refers to quarter notes.
Try the change without the player
Count six notes evenly, accenting the first note of each pair. Keep their speed steady and switch to accenting the first note of each group of three.
Play a short phrase with accents that follow one grouping, then try the other. This exercise makes the beat grouping clear. In a piece of music, accents can vary, and melody, harmony and phrasing also help establish the meter.