A 6/8 march is built from only four rhythms. A dotted quarter that fills the beat, a quarter plus an eighth, a triplet with the dot on the first note, and a triplet with the cut on the first note. Learn those four and you can read and play any two-parted 6/8.
The third note of every beat is always a plain eighth. The dot and the cut trade places in the first two slots, but that last eighth never moves. Give it its full length so it lands right on the next beat and the tune sounds right.
The beats that start with a cut note are the ones pipers rush. We are so used to long notes on beats that we sneak the short note in early to get the dot where it feels natural. Put the grace note of that short note right on the beat, and give the note before it its full value.
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Classic Two-Parted 6/8 Marches
49m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
⏱️ In this class
00:29two-parted 6/8s Five classic🔒
02:266/8 The four march a rhythms of🔒
04:48one whiteboard: how The divides beat🔒
07:45the plain eighth always is Why a third note🔒
09:33The tune Oban Coming: the Are Campbells🔒
11:35Setting metronome up for the 6/8🔒
15:09bright Dundee: the contrast Bonnie🔒
18:46Geordie's Muckin' and Byre The tachum the o'🔒
24:00Why rushed beats get cut-first🔒
27:34the Hundred trap Wi' a pickup-note Pipers:🔒
30:40and The Rock Pickle Wee the Tow🔒
34:33About is 90/10 short a note? How cut🔒
37:36the metronome with All five tunes🔒
43:41rrCalcui rategbhni, nda tenx wtah's🔒
About this class
🔒 The write-up and the quotes from this class are part of the members’ page.
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📜 Full class transcript
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got everybody. we're here. through into look two-parted chat go screen 6/8s. a I've it me back, through… drop and Take if be you going want; Alright, welcome the we a go as — to favorites it So my can that, fun and list, I'll some up pull well. of so my sharing you Let can at
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