6/8 and 12/8

[punkuzz900]

Hey guys!

I need some help! I know my theory and I'm helping to write a song in 6/8, but when I think of putting drums to it, it always sounds like your common run-of-the-mill standard 12/8 blues beat and it's frustrating me because it makes the song sound like a 12/8 instead of 6/8. Any way out of this? Because obviously 6/8 and 12/8 are similar but to me 12/8 has a more easily identifiable triplet thing going on because they are in groups of 4 (still following me?)

I can't think of what to say really, only example to show what I mean is Dave Matthews Band's song "Satellite", it's in 6/8 and Carter's broken hi-hat approach to it makes it clear to everyone it's not in 12/8.

Any help of suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks alot! =]

[shuffle]

Kinda hard to really help on such a thing without hearing the song you're working on.

I feel that 6/8 has an eight note pulse, as opposed to the quarter note pulse of 12/8, which I mostly consider as a more convenient way of writing a triplet-based 4/4. Satellite is somewhat of a confusing example, because parts are in 6/8, and other parts are in 4/4, but as you've mentionned, the eight-note pulse is very present throughout the song.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Whether to use 6/8 or 12/8 just depends on the phrase. They both get the same internal feel (traditionally a dotted quarter), but the beginning main accent is obviously more spaced out in 12/8. Can you write out your parts in standard notation or TAB? It may be helpful to visualize a different pattern first. You can start by transcribing the standard blues rhythm, and then below that just try shifting things around, or better yet as you suggested, drop some hits on the hats or add some ghost notes on the snare. I agree with the above post that it is hard to give proper suggestions without hearing the music in context. If it's straight forward, play something straight forward. If it's kind of broken up, try pushing the snare hits back a little and replace them with an extra kick. Maybe just sometimes.

I've had some compound measures mixed in with common time ones with a couple of my band's songs. I don't typically think, 'OK, now I've got to write a part in 6/8'. I'm always listening to the music, and then I react to that. It's only after the fact when I realize, 'Hey, that was cool because we moved from 4/4 into 6/8 for a while.' I've been enjoying that lately. I also like to hint at compound meter from within a measure of 4/4 (ie. two dotted quarters followed by a quarter). When I do that sometimes I'll play the eighths straight as you would feel them in a compound meter, or sometimes I'll super impose a duplet feel over the smaller groups of three, even though I'm really just playing quarters on the ride/hat (whatever) while the kick and snare are giving in to the feel of a compound meter.

[tajtonic]

it can be cool to get a 3 feel over the standard 6/8 thing... accenting every other 8th note as such:

1 2 3 4 5 6

[fat in the middle]

Hamonically, where does the phrase start? Often where the chords go is a clue of where the time is broken up...or melody can be a clue as well. We mustn't forget we are melodic players! There is a cool thing jeff Queen does that implies a poly in a double paradiddle rudiment.
>....>.....>....>....
RLRLRR LRLRLL

[maddrummr]

6/8 feels like 2/4 accept 6/8 is tripletized

12/8 feels like 4/4 accept its tripletized

so instead of

1 + 2 +

its

1 2 3 4 5 6

and for 12/8

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

its

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

[jamndrummer]

Hi,
How about thinking of your groove over the bar line. Either in two measure phrases or one measure and part of the next measure. This will leave the options wide open for you.
Hope this helps.

[punkuzz900]

Thanks for all the help so far guys =]

I'll try and get what we have of the song so far uploaded somewhere within the next few days so you guys can actually hear it.

Thanks alot! :D