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A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Music: 6/8 Time and Dotted Rhythms

C1.5 C1.4 C1.1 C2.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain the time signature 6/8 and feel its two big beats.
  • I can read, count and perform rhythms in 6/8, like skipping songs.
  • I can read and perform the dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note (ta-i ti) in 4/4.
  • I can describe how dotted rhythms and tempo create a mood, like in a fanfare or a slow march.

Words to know

time signature
The two numbers at the start of the music. The top number tells how many counts are in each bar; the bottom number tells which note gets one count.
6/8 time
A metre with six eighth-note counts in each bar, felt as two big beats (counts 1 and 4).
compound metre
A metre where each big beat divides into three, like 6/8.
dot
A dot after a note adds half of that note's value. A dotted quarter = a quarter + an eighth.
dotted rhythm
A long-short rhythm made with a dotted note, like ta-i ti.
fanfare
A short, bold piece, often played by brass instruments, to announce something important.

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 3 you learned 3/4 time and the dotted half note (ta-ah-ah, 3 beats). A dot made the half note longer. In Grade 4 you read syncopation (ti-ta-ti).

This year you'll use dots in new ways, and you'll learn a metre that feels like skipping: 6/8.

What does 6/8 mean?

In 6/8 time:

  • The 6 means there are six counts in each bar.
  • The 8 means the eighth note gets one count.

But we don't usually feel six separate beats. We group the eighth notes in threes, so each bar has two big beats, on counts 1 and 4:

ONE two three FOUR five six

This is called compound metre: each big beat divides into three. It gives music a rocking, lilting, skipping feel. Many skipping songs and nursery rhymes are in 6/8.

A skipping rope with wooden handles lies on a sunny schoolyard.
Many skipping songs are in 6/8 time. Say "ONE two three FOUR five six" and feel the two big beats, like the swing of a skipping rope. AI-generated image
6812345614(2 3)(5 6)beat 1beat 2
In 6/8, six eighth notes fill a bar, beamed in two groups of three. A dotted quarter note lasts as long as three eighth notes, so two dotted quarters also fill a bar. The big beats are on 1 and 4.

Note values in 6/8

In 6/8, count in eighth notes:

NoteCounts in 6/8Feels like
eighth note ♪1 counta quick step
quarter note ♩2 countsa longer step
dotted quarter note ♩.3 countsone big beat
dotted half note6 countsa whole bar (two big beats)
In 6/8, a quarter note followed by an eighth note (2 + 1 = 3 counts) fills one big beat with a long-short, skipping feel.
68Row,row,rowyourboat
The start of Row, Row, Row Your Boat in 6/8, starting on middle C: Row (dotted quarter), row (dotted quarter) | row (quarter), your (eighth), boat (dotted quarter).

The dotted quarter note in 4/4: ta-i ti

Remember: a dot adds half of the note's value.

  • Quarter note = 1 beat. Half of 1 is ½. So a dotted quarter note = 1½ beats.
  • It is usually followed by an eighth note (½ beat) to finish the second beat: 1½ + ½ = 2 beats.

We say it ta-i ti (or count it "1, 2-and"). It sounds long-short. You can hear it in Jingle Bells: "jin-gle all the way".

44jin-glealltheway123 (4)&1 (2 3 4)
"Jin-gle all the way" in 4/4. "All" is a dotted quarter note: it starts on beat 3 and lasts through beat 4. "The" is an eighth note on the "and" of beat 4. "Way" is a whole note (4 beats).
Worked example

Example: Let's count and clap a bar of 6/8

Count and clap this bar of 6/8: quarter, eighth, quarter, eighth (♩ ♪ ♩ ♪).

  1. Count the eighth notes: quarter = 2, eighth = 1, quarter = 2, eighth = 1.
  2. Add them: 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 6. The bar is complete.
  3. Where do the notes start? The first quarter on 1, the eighth on 3, the second quarter on 4, the last eighth on 6.
  4. Clap on 1, 3, 4 and 6 while you whisper all six counts: ONE (two) three FOUR (five) six.

It sounds long-short, long-short, like skipping: "Hump-ty Dump-ty". Each long-short pair fills one big beat.

Worked example

Example: Let's hear how rhythm and tempo create a mood

Compare two pieces: a fanfare played by trumpets, and a slow funeral march. What do the rhythm and tempo do?

  1. Fanfare: trumpets play sharp dotted rhythms (ta-i ti, ta-i ti) at a quick tempo and forte. The long-short pattern sounds bold and exciting, like announcing a king or the start of a game.
  2. Funeral march: a very slow tempo, steady, heavy beats, often low instruments and minor tonality. It sounds serious and sad, like people walking slowly together.
  3. Compare: the same element (duration) creates very different moods depending on how it is used.

Dotted rhythms at a quick tempo sound energetic and proud. A slow, steady tempo sounds calm, serious or sad. Composers choose duration on purpose to create a mood.

Feel the two big beats

Try a skip across the room while you sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Pop Goes the Weasel. Each skip (step-hop) lands on a big beat: 1 and 4. Your body will feel 6/8 before your eyes can read it!

Just for fun

Why is Row, Row, Row Your Boat in 6/8?

Because the boat needs that gentle rocking feel. A boat in 4/4 would just march straight into the water! 🚣

Hands-on activity

Skipping-song rhythm cards

You need: 10 index cards or pieces of paper, a marker, and a clear space (for skipping, a hallway or yard works well).

  1. Draw these on cards: three beamed eighth notes (1 card), a quarter + an eighth (2 cards), a dotted quarter (2 cards), a dotted half note (1 card).
  2. Arrange cards to make bars of 6/8. Check: each bar must add up to 6 eighth-note counts.
  3. Clap your rhythm while a grown-up pats the two big beats (1 and 4) on their knees.
  4. Say a skipping rhyme you know (like Humpty Dumpty or Pop Goes the Weasel) and find which cards match its rhythm.
  5. Bonus: make a fanfare for a family member's arrival using ta-i ti in 4/4. Play it on a pot with a wooden spoon, forte!

Your turn

1

In 6/8, what do the 6 and the 8 mean?

2

On which counts are the two big beats in 6/8?

3

How many eighth notes is a dotted quarter note in 6/8?

4

Does this bar of 6/8 add up: quarter, eighth, dotted quarter?

5

In 4/4, how many beats does a dotted quarter note get?

6

Clap ta-i ti, ta, ta in 4/4. How many beats does it last?

7

Sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Clap on the big beats (1 and 4) as you sing.

More practice: warm-up

1

What does a dot after a note do?

2

How many eighth notes fill a bar of 6/8?

3

In 6/8, how many counts does a quarter note get?

4

Does 6/8 feel more like marching or skipping?

5

What instrument family often plays fanfares?

More practice: on your own

1

Does this bar of 6/8 add up: dotted quarter, quarter? Explain.

2

Write two different bars of 6/8 using only quarters, eighths and dotted quarters.

3

In "jin-gle all the way", on which beat does "all" start and how long does it last?

4

A composer wants music for a sad scene. Would a fast tempo with dotted rhythms or a slow, steady tempo work better? Why?

5

Which two dotted notes have you learned so far, and how long is each in 4/4?

Challenge

1

Both 3/4 and 6/8 have six eighth notes' worth of sound in a bar. How are they different?

2

Write the rhythm of "Row, row, row your boat, gent-ly down the stream" in 6/8 (two more bars after the picture: "gent-ly down the" and "stream").

3

Compose a 2-bar fanfare in 4/4 that uses ta-i ti at least twice. Write the rhythm and say what it announces.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

In 6/8 time, which note gets one count?

2.

The two big beats in 6/8 fall on counts ___.

3.

In 6/8, a dotted quarter note lasts ___ eighth notes.

4.

Which bar adds up correctly in 6/8?

5.

In 4/4, a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note lasts ___.

6.

Which most likely uses a very slow, steady tempo?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students read and perform rhythms in 6/8 metre (as in skipping songs) and dotted rhythms, show their understanding through performance and composition (C1.5), perform rhythms accurately (C1.4), sing from notation (C1.1), and describe how duration and tempo are used, for example dotted rhythms in a fanfare and a slow tempo in a funeral march (C2.2).

How to help at home:

  • Skip together while singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Pop Goes the Weasel: the skip shows the two big beats of 6/8.
  • Have your child check if bars "add up" with rhythm cards, like a math puzzle.
  • Listen to a brass fanfare and a slow march (many are available from orchestras' and military bands' official channels) and talk about the mood.

Common difficulties:

  • Counting 6/8 like six marching beats. Keep the feel in two: ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six.
  • Cutting the dotted quarter short in ta-i ti. Have your child say "ta-a-i ti" and pat the beat: the eighth comes just before the next beat.
  • Mixing up 3/4 and 6/8. Compare a waltz (in 3) with a skipping song (in 2 big beats).