Music theory definition
Compound meter
A meter whose beats divide into three, like 6/8 (two beats, each split in three).
Compound time: 6/8
6/8 = two big , each split in three: ONE-and-a TWO-and-a. That's .
Learn it in context
This term is introduced in Unit 2: Rhythm. Work through the explanations and exercises to connect the definition with music.
- Bars and time signatures
How beats are grouped, and what 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 mean.
Related music terms
- Rhythm
- The pattern of long sounds, short sounds, and silences in music. Try clapping the words of a song: that is its rhythm.
- Metronome
- A tool that makes evenly spaced clicks, helping you keep a steady beat. Change its speed to practise slower or faster.
- BPM
- Beats per minute: the number of steady clicks in one minute. At 60 BPM, there is one click every second.
- Count-in
- A few clicks before you begin, so you can hear the speed and get ready. In these exercises, listen to four clicks, then start on the next one.
- Quarter note
- A note that lasts one beat in 4/4 time. Tap once when it begins, then wait for the next beat.
- Half note
- A note that lasts two beats in 4/4 time. Tap once, then let it last through the next beat.