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6/4 time signature

6/4 means six quarter notes in a bar. It is usually felt as two groups of three, ONE two three FOUR five six, like a slow 6/8, and sometimes as three groups of two, like a bar of 3/2.

120 BPM, Allegro: fast and bright

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How to count 6/4

Count 1 2 3 4 5 6, leaning on 1 and a little on 4. The metronome clicks all six quarter notes with the first one highest; music that feels in two puts its second accent on 4.

6/4 at a glance: its type, its beats and what a bar holds
6/4
TypeCompound duple, usually
Beats in a bar6
A beat isA quarter note
A bar holdssix quarter notes, two dotted half notes or three half notes

Music in 6/4

Hymns, folk songs and slow ballads that move in two big beats, and single bars of 6/4 dropped into songs in 4/4.

6/4 or 6/8?

Both bars drawn to one scale: the wider a box, the longer its note.

6/4: 1 2 3 4 5 6
6/8: 1 2 3 4 5 6

6/8 has six eighth notes, so on paper a bar is half as long. Both are usually felt as two beats of three; 6/8 is the common way to write it, and 6/4 suits slower music in longer notes.

How to count it and where it is heard are on the page for the 6/8 time signature.

Questions about 6/4

What does 6/4 mean?

6/4 means six quarter notes in a bar. It is usually felt as two groups of three, ONE two three FOUR five six, like a slow 6/8, and sometimes as three groups of two, like a bar of 3/2.

Is 6/4 simple or compound?

It can be either. Grouped 3 + 3 it is compound duple, two dotted-half beats; grouped 2 + 2 + 2 it is felt like 3/2. Most 6/4 is grouped in threes.

What music is in 6/4?

Hymns, folk songs and slow ballads that move in two big beats, and single bars of 6/4 dropped into songs in 4/4.

What is the difference between 6/4 and 6/8?

6/8 has six eighth notes, so on paper a bar is half as long. Both are usually felt as two beats of three; 6/8 is the common way to write it, and 6/4 suits slower music in longer notes.

Other time signatures

4/43/42/45/46/47/42/23/26/89/812/83/85/87/8

For any tempo in any of them, use the online metronome.

Play along with a beat

Open the free editor with a beat playing, set its time signature to 6/4, then add parts one by one. No account needed to start.

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