Estimated reading time 2 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Having trouble singing 6-8 rhythms? Do you find compound meter (such as 6-8, 9-8, and 12-8) confusing? The sing-along soundtrack will help! Read more to learn about singing rhythm syllables in 6-8 time.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Compound Meter and Singing Rhythm Syllables in 6-8 Time
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
How does compound meter work? In compound meter the beat does not happen on the eighth notes. Instead, you’ll feel the pulse on the dotted quarter notes. (See bar 8 in I Saw Three Ships.) This means that you’ll have three eighth notes per beat.
You could think of 6-8 as being like two 3-8 time signatures joined together, with the beat happening at the beginning of each unit of three notes. (See the example above.)
The new Kodaly rhythm syllable that you’ll learn today: tum. This syllable gets applied to the dotted quarter note in compound meters. In cut time, 2-4, 3-4, and 4-4 time signatures, the dotted quarter note has a different feel. Therefore, it gets a different syllable in simple meters versus in compound meters. For an example of how to sing dotted quarter notes in 3-4 time, see Singing Rhythm Syllables in 3-4 Time.
Before you can sing rhythm syllables in 6-8 time, we need to talk about how they work. The chart below shows:
- the symbol
- it’s rhythmic value
- the attendant rhythm syllable
Need to hear how the rhythm syllables sound? The video below will demonstrate how the syllables sound.
Rhythm Chart
Kodaly Rhythm Syllables Video
I Saw Three Ships and Singing Rhythm Syllables in 6-8 Time
I Saw Three Ships:
Our example for singing rhythm syllables in 6-8 time also uses shape notes to help you sight read the notes. To review shape notes, read Shape Note Sight Singing Success.
The solfege syllables sit below the staff in the sheet music example. However, the Kodaly rhythm syllables sit above the staff. Chant the rhythm syllables then sing the solfege syllables.
I carefully chose the soundtrack’s tuning to help with developing your melodic tuning skills. Practicing every day with the soundtrack will help you build up your mental pitch schemata. As you sing along, the soundtrack shows you how the melody should sound when sung in tune.
The song track uses synthetic voices rather than actual voices. Research has shown that this will help with the ability to identify and produce absolute pitch information. For more information, read Why Use a Synth Voice Instead of Real Voices.
Make sure you sneak in enough breaths as you sing. This will allow you to sustain your notes. Otherwise, your notes will go flat, making you go out of tune.
Just for fun, I’ve included a video of I Saw Three Ships.
I Saw Three Ships Video
Singing Rhythm Syllables in 6-8 Time: Quiz
After you’ve mastered I Saw Three Ships, you can attempt the quiz. First, try singing the solfege syllables (not included). Then, you can sing the 6-8 time rhythm syllables.
Concluding Thoughts on Singing Rhythm Syllables in 6-8 Time
While singing rhythm syllables in 6-8 time, you may have noticed that it has a rolling feel to it, much like in 3-4 time. This separates the “two feel” time signatures from the “three feel” time signatures. The two feel meters will have more points of repose in the melody than the three feel meters.
Shape notes will help any vocalist to sight read better. However, shape notes will be especially helpful for LD, ASD, ADD, autistic, and other special needs students, because they create a multisensory learning environment.
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
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Glossary
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