What is the difference of 3/4 and 6/8?

3/4 is a simple meter and has three beats, with one quarter note per beat.
6/8 is a compound meter and is actually counted in two, with one dotted quarter note per beat.

So I mostly feel 6/8 (or 12/8 for that matter) as a triplet thing.
You shouldn't see 6/8 as a "triplet thing", because the three eighth notes in each beat (in 6/8) are not triplets, they are just regular eighth-notes.
This is important to understand, because eighth notes triplets do exist in 6/8, but there's three of them in a single bar.
 
One way I like to think about it is the phrasing and feel within the measure.

3/4, most times you see the eight note in groups of two. (1&2&3&) What is usually the strong beat or count in 3/4? Count one. ONE two three. Definite three feeling.

6/8 is a duple meter. The strong beats are usually 1 & 4. ONE two three FOUR five six.

I agree, the feel and primary pulse of the piece of music dictate the time signature for me, it's either a quarter note pulse or an 8th note pulse :)

A waltz has a quarter note pulse, you can't really feel a pulse of 8th note, that's why it's written in 3/4, it's all about the context of the music :)
 
I agree, the feel and primary pulse of the piece of music dictate the time signature for me, it's either a quarter note pulse or an 8th note pulse :)

A waltz has a quarter note pulse, you can't really feel a pulse of 8th note, that's why it's written in 3/4, it's all about the context of the music :)

The back beat is the difference, I think.
 
You shouldn't see 6/8 as a "triplet thing", because the three eighth notes in each beat (in 6/8) are not triplets, they are just regular eighth-notes.
This is important to understand, because eighth notes triplets do exist in 6/8, but there's three of them in a single bar.
I know. I just often feel them this way. On second thought maybe that rather goes for
12/8 feels, instead of 6/8.
 
Simply, 3/4 is a triple meter and 6/8 is a duple meter.

One way I like to think about it is the phrasing and feel within the measure.

3/4, most times you see the eight note in groups of two. (1&2&3&) What is usually the strong beat or count in 3/4? Count one. ONE two three. Definite three feeling.

6/8 is a duple meter. The strong beats are usually 1 & 4. ONE two three FOUR five six.

Of course this is all subject to endless debate. One could call 12/8 a 4/4 with triplets. One could call 2/2 a 4/4 with half notes. Its all the feel, tempo, and phrasing of the music. Whatever is said, there is a clear distinction between duple and triple meter. (6/8 and 3/4)

As with other people agreeing here, this is the CORRECT definition. It's where you 'feel' the beat. In 3/4, you feel each beat like a waltz. In 6/8, you're feeling a two-beat feel, but subdivided as triplets. In the strictest sense of the feel. Some 6/8 music is meant to be felt like three groups of two eighth notes through the bar, but not always. For the sake of general Western feels, it is what bosman has explained.
 
That depends, but you can find anything. With 3/4 you count to 3. With 6/8 you'd commonly count to 2, as in two beats of triplets.
 
I like Bosman's response too. Just to check I'm okay with the theory:

I'm thinking Osibisa's The Dawn could be notated as a fast 3/4 or a 12/8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4xlfdL5LWQ

And a standard blues beat as in John Mayall's Out of Reach is 6/8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10qFyJARcW4

Do I get a gold star or dunce cap? :)

I reckon The Dawn is 12/8 since there's a distinct quarter note pulse with triplets over the top, and in fact I think Out of Reach is also 12/8 since the phrases are four beats long. In fact, you can tell from the chord changes since it's a 12-bar blues progression, indicating that each bar is four beats long. Simple!
 
Want a simple answer? Get ready for it, here it is: the 1. Technically, that's it. The difference between ANY time signature is where the 1 is. Don't get intimidated by trying to practice songs in 5 or 7. Just know where the 1 is and you'll be alright. If you want to go the "feel" route, then 3/4 and 6/8 can be differentiated by groove or feel. We all know what 3/4 feels like and we all know what 6/8 feels like; they just feel different. Very difficult to explain, but the technical and foundational answer is the 1 and where it is located in the song.
 
Good advice, JoeLackey. I would add that anytime you're playing in a time signature that ends in 8, it's going to played faster. That's why 6/8 has a duple feel. And also why 12/8 has a four feeling. There are exceptions, that is to say there are times when you'll be counting 6, or 12 beats. But not very often, it's for a dramatic effect.
 
depends on the 'pulse' of the song and who(m) sees that 'pulse' in a specific way.

in the end, 6/8 or 3/4 is arbitrary.

remember ...time signatures are tools for communication...and in many cases, there are no right or wrong ways...just many ways to do the same thing.
 
The difference I see with those is simply a quarter note and an eigth note. Basically as stated here already, it's a waltz. I like to use the bigger time signature, in this case 6/8 and subdivide it to 3. Meaning when I see 6/8 I count, 1 & ah, 2 & ah equaling 6 eight notes. So essentially 3/4 would be like stated here already as, ONE two three, ONE two three. Like you said starting over once you reach the three. Have fun and enjoy. I find it easier to subdivide the time signature.
 
I reckon The Dawn is 12/8 since there's a distinct quarter note pulse with triplets over the top, and in fact I think Out of Reach is also 12/8 since the phrases are four beats long. In fact, you can tell from the chord changes since it's a 12-bar blues progression, indicating that each bar is four beats long. Simple!

Sorry, brain snap last night. Yes, slow blueses are 12/8.

When I think about it I feel that 12/8 is a more helpful time sig in The Dawn than 3/4.

How about my 1981 band's tune here? At the time I was thinking of it as 3/4 but, like The Dawn, it still has the crotchet pulse (albeit a weaker one) running over 4 triplets. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwzysiIPbtI
 
Hi there. Recently I came across a guy that has done some recording. It is what would be described as 6/8 notes because that's the end of the measure for the loop of the guitar coming in/out, but he doesn't want the snare on 4 he wants the snare on 3. Now normally it would be alternating signatures of 3/4 and 6/8 in my mind and he doesn't want it swung. It's straight eighth notes with the snare being played on 3 with added grace snares towards the end of the measure. How do drummers normally count that. I'm not bad at playing by feel and adding extra notes, but how is this counted exactly by the click etc? If anybody could help that would be great.
 
Not sure I follow you completely. Putting the backbeat on the 4th 8th note in the measure would suggest 6/8-- 6/8 is usually counted in 2, and that would put the backbeat on 2. Putting it on the 3rd 8th note would suggest 3/4-- 3/4 is counted in three, and that would put the snare on beat 2. But I would determine the meter based on the guitar riff-- if it sounds like triplets in 2, then it's 6/8, and if it sounds like straight 8th notes in 3, it's 3/4. If you can't tell which one it is, just pick the one that seems least wrong and go with it.
 
Just to throw my 2c in.

Whenever you see a time signature based on 1/4 notes (eg. 3/4, 4/4, 6/4), it will generally have the feel of a song in 4/4.

Whenever you see a time signature based on 1/8 notes (eg, 3/8, 5/8, 6/8, 7/8), it MIGHT have a 4/4 feel, but it could also have a 6/8 feel :D it's a matter of determining which one it is based on the music itself.

The 6/8 feel, which people have already defined here, is that it is a 2 count beat. I always count it as "1 and a 2 and a ...". But 7/8 for example, is quite often played with a 4/4 feel, but you're chopping it short. On the other hand, you could turn a 12/8 measure into two measures of 5/8 and 7/8, and both of these two bars could be played with either a 6/8 feel or something else.

So how do you tell? Listen to the music. Listen to how the music 'moves' through the bar. It's generally (in simpler music) going to have a distinctive pattern, and that's what you base your time signature choice and groove off.

Case in point: Play a 6/4 beat, and play a 4/4 beat, both with a single kick and single snare on each down beat. Which is which? Who knows :) If you are being technically correct with your musicality you are accenting the 1, but most people don't do this. Now add the music you are playing along to, and that 6 or 4 note pulse should become clear.
 
One, I have never quite understood is tango's being in 4/8, isn't that just 2/4? I think easy notation is a big part of it as was mentioned, however I encounter this a lot in ballroom dance where the tempo is in measures per minute rather than beats per minute. IE 6/8 can sound fast lots of beats, but be slower than a 3/4.
 
The only reason I can think of tango music being in 4/8 would be that the pulse is an 1/8th note feel, not a 1/4 note feel. It was like that with when I used to do on 1 salsa dancing, we were following the 8th notes.

Edit: That's just a guess, I'm not familiar with tango music so I'm just assuming it's an 1/8th note pulse :)
 
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