Nine-eight time

Nine-eight time is one of the compound time signatures: each leading beat divides not into two but into three parts. Nine eighth notes thus give three groups of three eighth notes each. You count “1 2 3, 4 5 6, 7 8 9” or simply in three large beats, each as long as a dotted quarter note.

9/8 is not 3/4

Both time signatures have three leading beats. The difference lies in the division: in 3/4 time each beat divides into two eighth notes, in 9/8 into three. The time signature therefore has a rolling, flowing character that is clearly different from the dancing triple metre. The same relationship applies between six-eight time and 2/4 and between twelve-eight time and 4/4.

Counting

First count all nine eighth notes slowly and stress the one, the four and the seven. When that sits securely, count only the three main beats and let the division run along in your head. When you speed up the tempo, the way of counting should shift by itself from nine beats to three.

Notation

In the notation the eighth notes are usually written in groups of three under a shared beam. A bar with three dotted quarter notes is the short form for that. In the second bar of the example above you can see it: the same time is filled by three dotted quarter notes.