Sextuplet
A sextuplet puts six equal notes in the time of four. Six sixteenth notes thus fill a quarter. You can hear it as two triplets or as three groups of two.
- Division
- six equal parts in the time of four
- In the score
- figure 6, with a bracket if there is no beam
- Grouping
- 3+3 or 2+2+2
- Related
- triplet
Six in the time of four
A sextuplet puts six equally long notes in the time of four equal notes; the ratio is 6:4. Because six notes have to fit into the same time as four, they are shorter than the ordinary notes of the line.
Sextuplet: six sixteenth notes to a quarter (2/4)
Here each sextuplet fills the time of four sixteenth notes, that is, one quarter note. It is played evenly: all six notes are equally long.
Sextuplet in the bass clef with a rest (4/4)
A rest too can belong to the sextuplet: a sixteenth rest and five sixteenth notes together make six parts.
Two triplets or three groups of two
Six notes can be heard in two ways: as two groups of three (3+3, a double triplet, so to speak) or as three groups of two (2+2+2). Which grouping is “the real sextuplet” is seen inconsistently in the literature. Some textbooks call 3+3 a double triplet and reserve the name sextuplet for 2+2+2, others let both forms count as a sextuplet. For the duration this does not matter: both forms fill the same time.
Notation
The figure 6 is written above or below the group, with a bracket if there is no continuous beam. A rest too can be part of the sextuplet, as in the second example.
Common mistakes
- Playing two triplets with different lengths: Both groups of three share the time evenly.
- Playing the sextuplet too tight or too wide: It fills exactly the time of four equal notes.
- Overlooking the ratio: Without the figure 6, six sixteenth notes would be one and a half quarters long and would not fit into the beat.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
TripletDupletQuintupletSeptupletNote valueBar / measureBeatSixteenth notePolyrhythm
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
← Back to the glossary