My Gosh, this is my biggest secret! But I actually don't understand compound time!!!!!!
I've got the books etc and the AB guide just falls open at Compound time! So I suppose its not as if I don't try!

I came to the teachers forum because i thought maybe someone could explain to me, In a really simple way, compound time, and its uses.

Thank you, I'd be really grateful.

Flute Pastil x

Simple time is based on a crotchet beat running through each bar, so 4/4 is 4 crotchet beats in a bar, your standard disco beat.

Compound time is based on a dotted crotchet beat, but as you can't write 4/4. because no one would ever pick up on the dot, they change it into quavers. There are 3 quavers in a dotted crotchet so 3/8 is 1 dotted crotchet in a bar.

This means 6/8 is duple time (count 2 in each bar)
9/8 is triple time (count 3 in each bar)
12/8 is quadruple time (4 in each bar)


It is very important you get the counting right, and the easiest way to do this is to use Ta - Te - Ti which underlies every dotted crotchet.

The best way to start to learn it is to work out some permutations of a dotted crotchet (ie. crotchet/quaver, quaver/crotchet, quaver/quaver/quaver) and improvise with them to make sure you can keep the beat going.

OK - simple time has beats which divide into twos -
compound time has beats which divide into threes.

Compare jog-ging jog-ging (1-and 2-and) (simple) with
skippety skippety (1-and-a 2-and-a ) (compound).

So beats in simple time are normal notes (eg crotchet, minim), which divide into two shorter notes,
and beats in compound time are dotted notes, which divide neatly into three smaller notes (eg dotted crotchet into 3 quavers).

You can write "pretend compound time" in simple time if you write each beat as a triplet, but it's often easier to just write your piece in compound time.

Younger pupils generally find it easier to count the subdivisions of the beat in a compound time piece, (eg 6 even quavers in 6/8 time with a slight stress on the first and the fourth of each bar) at least to start with, until the piece can speed up a bit.

Does this help ?

Maggie

Try listening to a compilation of brass or military bands.
Some of the marches are in simple time(2/4) and some compound(6/8).

I don't think I'll ever understand compound time completly, but it seems less harder now......although I'll probably go upstairs sit down with my books and confuse myself!!!.....again!
Still slightly confusing......

[QUOTE]This means 6/8 is duple time (count 2 in each bar)
9/8 is triple time (count 3 in each bar)
12/8 is quadruple time (4 in each bar)[QUOTE]

by count two in each bar, do you mean count two dotted crotchets? And when......oh.......wait...... I think it just became clearer! But I still couldn't explain it! I almost get it!
So basically compound time is when a composer wants all the beats to divide into threes. So then you get the waltz-y 1, 2,3 1,2,3. Is that right?
And then one beat in compound time is a dotted crotchet. and one beat in simple time is a crotchet???

Flute Pastil x

yes

But if you can listen to some music in compound time you may be able to hear those 1,2,3s as a single beat

Yes

QUOTE

So basically compound time is when a composer wants all the beats to divide into threes.

That's right.

But if the quavers have a waltz-y feel it's likely to be a very quick waltz.
You can march to a piece in 6/8 time (as Sbhoa mentioned, many marches are written in 6/8). Try walking with one step to every dotted crotchet.
But you can't so easily waltz to it because the quavers are likely to move a bit too quickly.
Anyway sounds as if you are getting there!

M