common time of heaven. I never get tired of it – it’ s got a refreshing cadence to it that sets it apart from 4 / 4 and 3 / 4. We have 6 beats in a measure, with the eighth note getting a beat. I’ ll set the tempo at 144 BPM, with 6 pulses. I’ ll start on course, move off course, and come back on course. It’ s up to you to determine when I do.
Diagram 3 – 6 / 8
If you’ ve explored music theory a bit, you may know that 6 / 8 time can also be referred to as Compound Duple. The“ Duple” refers to just two pulses, which happen on beat 1 and beat 4. Here’ s where things get a bit interesting. In the accompanying video, I set my metronome to dotted quarter equals 48 Beats Per Minute. How many dotted quarter notes in a measure of 6 / 8 time? 2. So each of those dotted quarter notes represents 3 eighth notes. And guess what? The tempo hasn’ t changed, just the number of pulses. This may make it harder for us to hear the tempo, but the reality is, we may not always have 6 pulses to anchor ourselves to, so this is a great way to test our skill. Listen to the metronome at 48 BPM and you’ ll discover that the pulses are much further apart, but again, the tempo is the same, because of the subdivision of note values.
The stronger you get as a strumming guitarist, the more consistent you’ ll be, and the more your drummer will groove with you. Some drummers I’ ve worked with have shared with me that if the rhythm guitarist loses tempo, the drummer needs to sort of“ Babysit” the guitarist with steady high-hat hits. But your drummer won’ t have to do that if you get your strumming locked in right?
What’ s the next step? I’ ll bet you can guess. More strumming practice. Worship Musician Magazine has hosted 5 of my Strumming Workouts. The latest is Strumming Workout 5.0 from the January 2026 issue https:// joom. ag / dPEd / p52 would be an excellent next article to discover. I’ ll see you there!
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David Harsh David Harsh is a nationally touring worship leader, songwriter and performing artist. He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential. Learn more and join now at www. GuitarSuccess4U. com
The metronome I recommend is the Seiko SQ50-V Quartz Metronome, and if you click here to buy it, https:// tr. ee / BgVAoJ I get a small affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Or you can buy an app. But having your own metronome will be a great way to consistently practice with various tempos. Then, you can explore playing along with sound recordings of the songs you like. I recommend doing the“ Washboard” technique first – just locking in with the rhythm of the song as you listen.
Adding chords too soon creates a layer of complexity that might not be as attainable in this season of your playing. Dial in rhythm first, then chords. Do what you can to divide and conquer and isolate the variable of your strumming hand.
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