The 6/8 ballad

What it’s for

Not every song walks in four. In 6/8, the bar holds six eighth notes, grouped into two sets of three: 1 2 3 4 5 6. You feel two big beats rocking back and forth, each split into three. That rolling motion gives ballads their lullaby feel.

You can hear it, for example, in The Animals’ version of The House of the Rising Sun, and in plenty of folk ballads, slow dances and slow blues. Here it’s played over A minor, F, C, G, one bar each.

The tempo counts dotted quarter notes, the big beats: at 50, the metronome clicks twice per bar, on 1 and on 4. For more on time signatures, see rhythm and time signatures.

How to practice it, step by step

1. Muted strings first. Fretting hand flat across the strings. Count “1 2 3 4 5 6” out loud and strum: down on 1, down on 2, up on 3, and the same on 4, 5, 6. Between 1 and 2, your hand comes back up without touching the strings.
2. On one chord. A minor, leaning clearly on 1 and 4. The other strums are lighter.
3. With a chord change. A minor, then F. Change during the upstroke on 6: it can ring on open strings.
4. Up to tempo. The full progression at 40, then work up to 60. Beyond that, the pattern gets bouncier and the ballad turns into a fast waltz.

Common mistakes

• You’re counting in four. The 4/4 habit creeps back fast, and the pattern limps. Count to six out loud until it feels natural.
• No accents. Without a push on 1 and 4, the six strums all sound alike and the sway is gone. Beat 1 a touch stronger than beat 4 is even better.
• Your hand stops after beat 1. It swings back up silently to come down on 2. The motion stays continuous.
• Upstrokes too loud. Beats 3 and 6 are just links to the next big beat.
• Too fast. A 6/8 ballad needs room to breathe. Too slow beats rushed.

You’ve got it when…

• you can count “1 2 3 4 5 6” while playing without losing your place;
• you can clearly hear two pulses per bar, on 1 and 4;
• you play A minor, F, C, G at 50 without breaking the sway.