3/4 time signature and waltz time

Say "ONE two three, ONE two three" and you can almost feel your body sway. That lilt is 3/4 time. It is the second most common meter after 4/4, and it is the heart of waltzes, many lullabies, hymns and folk songs.

What does 3/4 mean?

The top number 3 tells you there are three beats in each measure. The bottom number 4 tells you the quarter note is the beat. A full measure of 3/4 is therefore worth three quarter notes: for example one half note plus one quarter note, or one dotted half note, which lasts three beats.

Three main beats per measure is called triple meter. Each beat divides into two (an eighth-note pair), which makes 3/4 a simple meter. That is the difference from 6/8, where there are also six eighth notes per measure but they are grouped in two threes.

How do you count 3/4?

Count "1 2 3" over and over, one number for each quarter note. Put a small accent on 1. With eighth notes, add "and" between the numbers: "1 and 2 and 3 and."

Why is 3/4 called waltz time?

The waltz is a ballroom dance for couples, and it has a step on each of three beats in every measure, with the first step the largest. It grew popular in Vienna in the late 1700s and early 1800s and then spread everywhere. The bass or left hand usually plays a pattern known as oom-pah-pah: a low note on beat 1 and chords on beats 2 and 3.

The accompaniment above is easy to play at a piano and is a good way to feel the meter in your hands. Say "oom-pah-pah" along with it.

What are some examples of music in 3/4?

Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube" is the most famous concert waltz, and it is in 3/4. So are the waltzes of Chopin and Brahms, and Tchaikovsky's waltzes from his ballets. "Happy Birthday to You" is in 3/4, as is the hymn "Amazing Grace." Many country songs and slow ballads use 3/4 as well.

Not everything in 3/4 is a waltz. Minuets, a dance of the 1700s, are in 3/4, and so is the Scherzo of many symphonies. What they share is a pulse of three.

Is a 3/4 measure the same as a 6/8 measure?

They add up to the same length: a measure of 3/4 equals six eighth notes, and so does a measure of 6/8. The difference is how the notes group and where the accents fall. 3/4 feels like three beats of two (ONE-and two-and three-and), and 6/8 feels like two beats of three (ONE-two-three FOUR-five-six). Some music mixes the two on purpose, which creates a rhythm called hemiola, where three beats of two are heard against two beats of three.

Waltz time is also a good way to learn the idea of a strong downbeat. Because there are only three beats, the pattern of one strong beat and two weak ones repeats quickly, and you can hear it come around again and again. Dancers use that feeling to turn: the big step lands on beat 1, and the next two steps carry them through the turn.

How do you practice 3/4?

1. Tap your foot on every beat and count "1 2 3" aloud with a slow, steady pulse.
2. Clap only beat 1 while your foot keeps tapping all three beats.
3. Play a single note on beat 1 and chords on beats 2 and 3 (oom-pah-pah).
4. Add eighth notes between the beats and say "and" out loud.
5. Try a simple tune in 3/4 and count a full measure before you begin.

What are the usual mistakes?

• Counting four beats by habit. Stop at 3 and begin again at 1.
• Treating the dotted half note as two beats. It lasts three beats, one full measure of 3/4.
• Letting beat 1 get the same weight as 2 and 3, which makes the waltz feel flat.

For an overview of how this meter compares with the others, see time signatures.

Check yourself

Related pages

• Time signatures explained
• 4/4 time signature
• 6/8 time signature
• Dotted half note: how many beats it gets
• Quarter note: symbol, beats and counting
• Eighth note: symbol, beams and how to count it