9/8 Metronome
Tap a beat to accent or mute it
bpm Andante
Time signature
How the beats are grouped. The top number is how many beats are in a bar, the bottom number which note gets the beat: 4/4 is four quarter notes, 6/8 is six eighth notes. Custom builds any other.Subdivision
Adds extra clicks between the beats: two per beat (eighth notes), three (triplets) or four (sixteenth notes), so you can lock in faster rhythms.Sound
The click itself: Hi Hats, Rim Click, Digital or Toms. Pick whichever cuts through your guitar best.Custom time signature
- Space Play / stop
- Up arrowDown arrow Tempo
- T Tap tempo
- 1-4 Sounds
Speed Trainer
Builds speed for you. Turn it on and the tempo starts at Start at, then goes up by Speed up by every few bars until it reaches Stop at.9/8 has nine eighth notes in every bar. Most of the time it is grouped in three sets of three, which feels like a waltz with every beat split into a triplet. It can also be grouped unevenly, which turns it into an odd meter.
What does the 9/8 time signature mean?
The top 9 means nine notes per bar, and the bottom 8 means they are eighth notes. Grouped 3+3+3, it is a compound time signature with three big beats, like 3/4 with triplets. Grouped 2+2+2+3, the bar limps at the end.
TypeCompound triple, 9 eighth notes per bar
How to count 9/8 time
Say it: "ONE two three, FOUR five six, SEV eight nine"
For 3+3+3, count all nine and lean on 1, 4 and 7, or count the three big beats with triplets in between: "1 and a, 2 and a, 3 and a". For 2+2+2+3, accent 1, 3, 5 and 7, and give the last group an extra note.
Accent patterns to try
Press a pattern to set the metronome to it and start the click.
The tempo in 9/8
In 9/8 the metronome clicks every eighth note. The tempo number still counts quarter notes, so you hear twice as many clicks as the number says: at 90 bpm that is 180 clicks a minute. The big beat you tap your foot to is three eighth notes long, so it moves at two thirds of the number: 60 beats a minute at 90 bpm. For a big beat of 60, set the tempo to 90.
How 9/8 feels
In the 3+3+3 grouping, 9/8 rolls and spins. Irish slip jigs are written in 9/8 this way. In the 2+2+2+3 grouping it feels like it is about to fall over at the end of every bar, and that tension is the fun of it.
Songs in 9/8
- Blue Rondo à la Turk by Dave Brubeck QuartetMostly 2+2+2+3
- The Crunge by Led ZeppelinMain groove, grouped 5+4
- Apocalypse in 9/8 by GenesisFrom Supper's Ready
- I Hung My Head by StingGrouped 2+3+2+2
Practice 9/8 on guitar
- Set the tempo to 70 bpm and strum a downstroke on every click with the 3+3+3 accents.
- Pick a bass note on 1, 4 and 7 and strum the top strings in between.
- Switch to 2+2+2+3 and play a chord on each accent. Notice how the last group feels longer.
- Alternate one bar of each grouping to train your ear to hear the difference.
Learn 9/8 with a teacher
Hear it played, count along and try it yourself with these video lessons from the Infinite Guitar library:
Other time signatures
9/8 time signature FAQ
Is 9/8 an odd time signature?
It depends on the grouping. 3+3+3 is compound triple time, with three even beats. Grouped 2+2+2+3 or 2+3+2+2, it is uneven, and most people call that an odd meter.
What is the difference between 9/8 and 3/4?
Grouped 3+3+3, 9/8 feels like 3/4 with every beat played as a triplet. 3/4 splits each beat into two eighth notes, 9/8 splits each one into three.
How fast is 9/8 on this metronome?
The tempo counts quarter notes and the click plays eighth notes, so you hear twice the number shown. The big beats in 3+3+3 move at two thirds of the number.