Compound meters are meters in which the beat divides into three and then further subdivides into six.

Duple meters have groupings of two beats, triple meters have groupings of three beats, and quadruple meters have groupings of four beats. You can determine these groupings aurally by listening carefully and tapping along to the beat.

There are different conducting patterns for duple, triple, and quadruple meters; these are the same in both compound and simple meters.

Time signatures in compound meters express two things: how many divisions are contained in each measure (the top number), and the division unit—which note gets the division (the bottom number).

Rhythms in compound meters get different counts based upon their division unit. Beats that are not articulated (because they contain more than one beat or because of ties, rests, or dots) receive parentheses around their counts.

Chapter Playlist

In the previous chapter, Simple Meter and Time Signatures, we explored rhythm and time signatures in simple meters—meters in which the beat divides into two and further subdivides into four. In this chapter, we will learn about compound meters—meters in which the beat divides into three and further subdivides into six.

Listening to and Conducting Compound Meters

Compound meters can be duple, triple, or quadruple, just like simple meters. In other words, the beats of compound meters group into sets of either two, three, or four. The difference is that each beat divides into three divisions instead of two, as you can hear by listening carefully to the following examples:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/38gepJH1X5U19PF3Vsudgv?si=0069b65dc4e542d8

“End of the Road” (1992) by Boyz II Men is in a duple meter—the beats group into a two pattern. Tap along to the beat and notice how it divides into three parts instead of two. If you further divide the beat (by tapping twice as fast), you will feel that the beat subdivides into six parts.

The second movement (Minuet) of Franz Joseph Haydn's Sonata no. 42 in G Major (1784) is in a compound triple meter. Listen for the groupings of three beats, each of which divides into three.

Finally, a compound quadruple meter contains four beats, each of which divides into three. Listen to "Exogenesis Symphony Part III" (2010) by the alternative rock band Muse. This is in a compound quadruple meter; in other words, the beats are grouped into a four pattern.

In general, it is less common for music to be written in compound meters. Nonetheless, you must learn how to read music and perform in these meters in order to master Western musical notation.

Review the conducting patterns for simple meters in the previous chapter, as they are the same for compound meters.

Time Signatures

Measures in compound meters are equivalent to one beat grouping (duple, triple, or quadruple), just as they are in simple meters. However, the two numbers in the time signature express different information for compound meters. The top number of a time signature in compound meter expresses the number of divisions in a measure, while the bottom number expresses the division unit—which note value is the division. Example 1 shows a common compound-meter time signature.

Example 1. Two numbers (6 and 8) form a common compound meter time signature.

Just like in simple meter, compound-meter time signatures are not fractions (and there is no line between the two numbers), and they are placed after the clef on the staff. In Example 1, the top number (6) means that each measure will contain six divisions; the bottom number (8) means that the eighth note is the division. This means that each measure in this time signature will contain six eighth notes, as you can verify by examining Example 1.

In compound meters, the top number is always a multiple of three. Divide this number by three to find the corresponding number of beats in simple meter: top numbers of 6, 9, and 12 correspond to duple, triple, and quadruple meters respectively. In compound meters, the bottom number is usually one of the following:

8, which means the eighth note receives the division.

4, which means the quarter note receives the division.

16, which means the sixteenth note receives the division.

The following table summarizes the six categories of meters that we have covered so far:

Example 2. Categories of meters.

Counting in Compound Meter

While counting compound meter rhythms, it is recommended that you conduct in order to keep a steady tempo. Because beats in compound meter divide into three, they are always dotted. Beats in compound meter are as follows:

If 8 is the bottom number, the beat is a dotted quarter note (equivalent to three eighth notes).

If 4 is the bottom number, the beat is a dotted half note (equivalent to three quarter notes).

If 16 is the bottom number, the beat is a dotted eighth note (equivalent to three sixteenth notes).

In simple meters, the beat divides into two parts, the first accented and the second non-accented. In compound meters, the beat divides into three parts, the first accented and the second and third non-accented. The counts for compound meter are different from simple meter, as demonstrated in Example 3, which is in \mathbf{^6_8}.

Example 3. Counting in a compound duple meter.

In this time signature, each measure has two beats (6÷3=2), indicating duple meter. Each dotted quarter note (the beat) gets a count, which is expressed in Arabic numerals, like in simple meter. For notes that are longer than one beat (such as the dotted half note in the fourth measure of Example 3), the beats that are not counted out loud are still written in parentheses. Divisions are counted using the syllables “la” (first division) and “li” (second division). As the final measure of Ex