In my teaching practice I find that 6/8 rhythms are some of the hardest ones to grasp mainly due to a poor understanding of the breakdown and pulse.  6/8 rhythms are prevalent in many cultures.  One of the first things that I do in my lectures at the Victorian College of the Arts is to play a wide range of musical examples in 6/8.  The following is the list I play the class.  These recordings are currently available on cd and they would complement any musicians library nicely, so make an effort to find them and study them.

Recordings -  [track]  [artist]  [title]  [label]  [style]

1. Baba Jinde - Olatunji Drums Of Passion (Columbia CK 8210)  West African
2. Ye Ye - Mongo Santamaria Afro-Roots (Prestige PCD-24018-2)  Afro-Cuban
3. Terra - Paulinho Da Costa Agora (Pablo OJCCD-630-2)  Afro-Brazilian
4. Tio Goyo - Wilfredo Franco Peru Musica Negra (ASPIC X55515)  Afro-Peruvian
5. El Aparecido - Inti Illimani La Nueva Cancion Chilena (Monitor MCD 71794)  Chilean
6. La Flor Azul - Mercedes Sosa Live in Argentina (Tropical Music 680.916)  Argentinian
7. La Cigarra - Linda Ronstadt Canciones De Mi Padre (Asylum 960 765-2)  Mexican
8. Ghozali  - Charef Zerouki My Gazelle (GlobeStyle CDORB 047)  Algerian
9. Mac's Fancy - De Danann Mist Covered Mountain (Gael-Linn CEFCD 087)  Irish
10. Water Girl - Zakir Hussain Making Music (ECM 1349 831 544-2)  Indian
11. Pancho's Seis Por Ocho - Eddie Palmieri/Cal Tjader Bamboleate (Charly194)  Latin Jazz
12. Incident At Neshabur - Santana Abraxas (MFSL UDCD 552)  Latin Rock
13. That's Alright - John Lee Hooker The Healer (Chameleon D2-74808)  Rhythm & Blues
14. Waraya - Salif Keita Amen (Mango CIDM 1073 848 793-2)  Contemporary North African
15. Lusambo - Alex Pertout Alex Pertout (Larrikin LRJ-273)  Contemporary Latin-Jazz
16. The Juggler - Weather Report Heavy Weather (CBS CD81775)  Contemporary Jazz
17. Proof - Paul Simon The Rhythm Of The Saints (Warner Bros 7599-26098-2)  Pop World

What they all have in common is that the pulse is felt in exactly the same way.  If you count in 6/8 the "pulse" (or your foot) will be on beats 1 and 4.  Practice the following exercise by:  a) Clapping all the notes while tapping your foot on beats 1 and 4  -  b) Tapping "hand to hand style" (R L R L R L) while tapping your foot on beats 1 and 4.  It is important to count throughout.
 

If you think in 4/4 you can transfer the above example to eighth note triplets, counting 1+a  2+a  3+a  4+a.  This will give you "two bars of 6/8" in one bar of 4/4.  This time the "pulse" (or your foot) will be on beats 1, 2, 3 and 4.
 

Now try this popular Afro Cuban 6/8 cowbell pattern by clapping the rhythm while tapping your foot on beats 1 and 4.
 

In order to fully understand 6/8 rhythms, practice counting, clapping and tapping until mastered.

© 2000 Alex Pertout
All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, without the prior written permission from the author.  First published in Drumscene (1995)

Copyright © 1996-2003 Alex Pertout