3/8 time
Time signature with three eighth notes per bar.
What it means
3/8 time is a metre in which every bar contains three eighth notes or their equivalent value. It counts as a simple time signature, since each of the three beats divides naturally into two equal parts, unlike compound time signatures such as 6/8.
In the notation
3/8 time is notated with the time signature 3/8: the upper number gives the number of beats per bar, the lower number identifies the eighth note as the beat unit. A barline closes each group of three eighth notes or their rhythmic equivalent.
Musical use
3/8 time is used mainly at fast tempos, where it is felt as a single light beat per bar, somewhat like a fast waltz metre but with a smaller basic unit. It appears in fast scherzo and minuet movements and in some folk dances with a buoyant character.
3/8 time should be distinguished from 3/4 time, which shares the same count of three per bar but uses the twice-as-long quarter note as its beat unit and therefore usually feels more measured. It also differs from 6/8 time, which likewise counts eighth notes but, as a compound metre, has two main beats per bar instead of one.
Performance practice
Count 3/8 time first in three equally weighted eighth notes to internalise the metre, then let the emphasis fall consciously only on the first beat, so the other two feel lighter. At very fast tempos it helps to conduct or feel the whole bar as one single large gesture rather than counting every eighth note individually.