The Six Eight Time Signature

Lesson 2/132 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Guitar

The Six Eight Time Signature

This is the six eight time signature.
There are six eighth notes in one bar of ) time.
The six eighth notes are divided into two groups of three.

In ) time there are two pulses within each bar, with each beat being a dotted quarter note. (This is different to * and ^ time where each beat is a quarter note).
Accent (play louder) the 1 and 4 count to help establish the two pulses per bar.

The songs "House of the Rising Sun" and "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" are in the key of A minor (Am). The notes used in these songs are from the A minor scale. The key signature for the key of A minor is the same as C major, that is it contains no sharps or flats.

C Major Key Signature

A Major Key Signature

It is common for songs in the key of A minor to contain a G sharp (G#) in its melody as in bar 14 of House of the Rising Sun. For more information on minor scales see Progressive Guitar Method: Theory.

Know Your Guitars...

Martin Dreadnought

In the early part of the 20th century, guitar manufacturer C.F. Martin released an acoustic guitar with a larger, deeper body than most existing guitars. Around the same time, the British navy launched a battleship that was so big it would fear nothing. It was called "HMS Dreadnought". Martin thought this would be a good name for his new guitar.
The guitar sounded great and the name caught on. Today, the dreadnought is the most commonly used type of acoustic guitar in the world.

Here is an arpeggio style accompaniment for "House of the Rising Sun". Look through the chords and see which ones come from each type of minor scale. Try playing this accompaniment while a friend plays the melody on another guitar. To be a good guitarist, you need to be able to play both the chords and melody of all the songs you learn. This is the basis of rhythm and lead guitar.

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Gary Turner and Peter Gelling

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- First String Notes 3- Second String Notes 4- LESSON THREE 5- 12 Bar Blues 6- Third String Notes 7- Eighth Note Rhythms 8- A Major Chord 9- 12 Bar Blues and Seventh Chords 10- Minor Chords 11- Fourth String Notes 12- Fifth String Notes 13- F Major Chord 14- Rests 15- Sixth String Notes 16- Eighth Notes 17- B Minor Chord 18- Sharps 19- Flats 20- Silent Strums and Continuous Rhythm 21- Dotted Quarter Notes 22- Suspended Chords 23- More on Bass Note Rhythm Patterns 24- The Major Scale 25- The G Major Scale 26- The F Major Scale 27- The Eighth Rest 28- Alternative Chord Shapes 29- Rock Chords 30- Eighth Note Triplet Rhythms 31- More About Arpeggios 32- Minor Keys and Scales 33- Relative Keys 34- The Six Eight Time Signature 35- The Eighth Note Triplet 36- Sixteenth Notes 37- Sixteenth Note Rhythms 38- Major Seventh Chords 39- Minor Seventh Chords 40- D Sixth Chord 41- Cut Common Time 42- Tuning 43- Notes in the Open Position 44- Chord Charts 45- Transposing 46- Playing in a Band 47- Chord Formula Chart 48- Glossary of Musical Terms 49- Other Titles by Koala Music Publications 50- Right Hand Support 51- The C Major Chord 52- The Octave 53- The Lead-In 54- Note Summary 55- Three Four Time Rhythm Patterns 56- The Tie 57- Note Summary 58- Turnaround Progressions 59- The Common Time Signature 60- Open Position Notes 61- Alternate Picking 62- First and Second Endings 63- Silent Strum Symbols 64- Alternate Bass Note Picking 65- The Key Of C Major 66- Key Signatures 67- Syncopation 68- Major Sixth Chords 69- A Rock Chord Shapes 70- Arpeggio playing 71- Minor Arpeggios 72- The Natural Minor Scale 73- Slash Chords 74- Shuffle Rhythm 75- Tempo Markings 76- Supplementary Songs 77- Tuning Hints 78- Sharps and Flats 79- Song List 80- The Capo 81- Altered Chords 82- Approach to Practice 83- Pick Technique 84- The Seventh Chord 85- Slide Finger 86- Bass Note Rhythm Pattern 87- Note Summary 88- Alternative Chord Fingerings 89- Duets 90- Rhythm Variations 91- D Rock Chord Shapes 92- Combining Strumming and Arpeggio Patterns 93- Augmented and Diminished Chords 94- The Harmonic Minor Scale 95- Swing Rhythms 96- Electronic Tuners 97- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 98- Sheet Music 99- Scale Tone Chords 100- Electronic Tuner 101- Chord Progressions 102- E Rock Chord Shapes 103- The Melodic Minor Scale 104- The Chromatic Scale 105- Scale Tone Chord Extensions 106- Acoustic Guitars 107- Pivot Finger 108- Learning all the Keys 109- Electric Guitars 110- Rhythm Patterns 111- Key Signatures 112- Amplifiers 113- Open Chord Shapes 114- Scales 115- Strings 116- Natural Notes 117- Seating 118- The Chromatic Scale 119- Standing 120- The A Chromatic Scale 121- Right Hand and Arm Using the Pick 122- The Major Scale 123- Right Arm Position 124- Minor Keys 125- How to Read Music 126- Tablature 127- The Rudiments of Music 128- Note Values 129- Count, Pick and Fingering Symbols 130- Chord Diagrams 131- Left Hand Fingering 132- Rhythm Symbols

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The Six Eight Time Signature