Beats per bar
66 eighth note beats fill every bar of 6/8.Pulse · tempo · time
6/8 Metronome
This page opens a working metronome in 6/8 time at 180 BPM. The first beat of every bar gets a brighter accent click, so you can hear where the bar begins without watching the screen. Change the tempo freely, or switch signature from the same panel to compare.
Beats per minute
BPM
123456
Ready at 180 BPM in 6/8.
Tempo facts
What 6/8 time means
A bar of 6/8 holds 6 eighth note beats. Here is how that plays out at the 180 BPM this page opens with.
Beat unit
Eighth noteThe lower number, 8, is what counts one beat in 6/8.Accent
Beat 1The metronome plays a brighter click on the downbeat. The pattern below shows the lighter stresses musicians add.Bar length
2 sAt 180 BPM one bar of 6/8 lasts 2 seconds.How 6/8 is counted
- 1Strong
- 2Weak
- 3Weak
- 4Lighter
- 5Weak
- 6Weak
Count 'one two three four five six' with a strong accent on one and a lighter stress on four. Six eighth-note beats fill the bar, but they group into two, so most musicians feel 6/8 as two large beats of three rather than six small ones.
How to practise in 6/8
Start by clapping only on clicks one and four so the two main pulses stand out, then fill in the other four. This page opens at 180, which makes the six clicks add up to two main pulses at exactly 60 a minute — a clean way to hear both layers at once.
What music is written in 6/8
6/8 is the most common compound time signature. Jigs, barcarolles, sea shanties, doo-wop ballads and a great deal of film music use it, and it is the natural notation for any groove that swings in threes.