Simple and Compound Time
Time signatures fall into two basic categories - simple time and compound time. Simple time is any time signature where the basic beat is divisible by two. For example, in * , ^ , and % the basic beat is a quarter note which may be divided in half to become two eighth notes per beat.
Any time signature where the basic beat is divisible by three is called compound time. The most common example of compound time is six eight time ( ) ). Other examples of compound time would be _ and +. In compound time, the basic beat is felt as a dotted quarter note which can be divided by three.
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.
Here are some melodies in ) time. Although the count is in eighth notes, it is better to feel the time as two basic beats grouped in threes. This means that the strong beats are on the 1 count and the 4 count. Tap your foot on these beats as you play. In time this will become second nature.
This song is in the key of B minor which is the relative minor of D major. This can be seen by the key signature (two sharps). You can usually tell whether a song is in a major or minor key by the note it ends with. This song ends with a B note. If it was in D major, it would probably end with a D note.
