"I Use Antlers in All of My Decorating!"

Here is one of my favorite songs to sing in the car, from one of my favorite princess movies that Disney has ever produced: "Beauty and the Beast." Which song, you might ask? Not the theme, "Beauty and the Beast," nor, "Be Our Guest," but the song of the villain: "Gaston." Listening to this song brings back fond memories of when our eighth grade class witnessed a stage production of "Beauty and the Beast" at a dinner theater in Pennsylvania, and the actor who portrayed Gaston was our waiter! Enjoy, everyone.

Once upon a December

I would be remiss if I ended this month without sharing one of my favorite 6/8 songs of all time: Once upon a December from the animated movie Anastasia. 

So beautiful. 

And that's my last post for the month, as well as for the year! May your new year be full of all things wonderful and 6/8. 

Denim on Denim, I'm Blending In

After such a beautiful Christmas day, I'm suddenly remembering the east coast a bit more than normal. 

You see, I've been born and raised a Carolina boy, and now that I'm living in the Mountain West, I get homesick now and then. 

The week before I moved, I bought this awesome album on iTunes, called Paperbirds- EP by Elephant Shortcut. It's only 5 songs, but they make me really happy. I listened to this album almost constantly through the day I moved, and every time I re listen to it, I feel a great longing for the old City I used to live in.

This is one of my favorite songs on that album, although I must admit I love them all. And it's in 6/8!

(Sorry about the recording, but none of their live videos can really compare to their recorded version on iTunes.)

Racing on sidewalks we flew away
jumping from heights i tried to be brave
inklings of longings that turned into feelings for you
like you knew they'd do, for you
yeah you knew they'd do
for you

"Let's Go Away!"

...And we're back to the 20th century, ladies and gentlemen, with Weezer's "Blue" Album, which is, in my opinion, their best album. They're one of my favorite rock bands because of their killer guitar riffs and their exquisite vocal harmony. I figured that "Holiday" (which is very different from the Green Day song of the same title) was an appropriate song for the Christmas Holidays because lots of people are probably "going away" as I type, battling their way home to their families. And it is in 6/8, of course! Merry Christmas everyone!

Silver and Gold

Alas, that time of year is fast approaching.

We celebrate a magnificent occurrence in the history of the world that means so much to so many people. Regardless of your religious standpoint, you can always see Christmas from the perspective of giving.

I'm certainly exited to be able to give presents to friend's and family this Christmas, as it is my first that I am employed.

I'm really grateful for this time of year, and of all the memories it brings.

So here is one of my favorite memories, from Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer.

Movement 2, Symphony 9, "Choral" - The Joy (or Freude) of New Life

Friends, I hope that you forgive me for the belatedness of the post - it is meant, not for the 17th of December, but the 16th, the day that Ludwig van Beethoven was born centuries ago and the day that my little brother was born this year. So, in light of the ceremony that this date occasions, I have yet another enduring piece of Beethoven to offer, probably a bit that you recognize from the thirty second previews that Windows Media Player gives you when you get a new computer.
It starts with those dramatic octave drops in the strings, a response in the timpani, and a resolution in the strings.
Then it is a Beethoven "Scherzo" - and all awesomeness proceeds from there.
Also, if you would like to peruse the poem on which the lyrics of the fourth movement were based, follow this link: http://raptusassociation.org/ode1785.html.
Beethoven mainly used Schiller's lyrics, except for an introduction to the text which was to be sung by a baritone soloist with a translation something like this: "Oh friends, no more of these tones - let us sing songs more full of joy!" (this is a rough paraphrase).
However, I thought that this song was fitting for the birth of my brother today (even if it is the chaotic second movement) because the song always evokes in my mind the image of the tumult of creation as I imagine it - and the very last movement, once the people start singing, is like man's celebration of the sheer joy (die Freude!) of being alive. La joie de vivre! So enjoy a portion of one of the pieces that I consider a testament to the beauty of life.

Silent Night

Friends, 6/8 is a magical time signature.

As my husband points out, it not only lends itself to a dancy, moving mood, but also to a smooth, calming mood.  

Silent Night is definitely in the latter mood.  

And aren't the sultry tones of Nat King Cole something else entirely? 

The Night of our Dear Savior's Birth

I'm so exited for Christmas!

I have already done most of my Christmas shopping, and hope to finish the rest up in the coming week. Shopping is so much nicer when I have money to spend.

So my song for this week as you may have guessed is a classic Christmas Hymn. It is reverent, peaceful and it really brings me happiness.

Although most versions of this song are written in 12/8, I have personally played a version in 6/8. (While double checking this fact online, I actually found several versions in 4/4, although how they managed to write that is beyond me).

Please enjoy the Christmas spirit!

"Tempest" Sonata, Movement 3

Today, I present to everyone the allegretto movement of Beethoven's "Tempest" sonata. I suppose it is probably named thus because of the restless movement of the 6/8 time signature as it is used in this final part - as I listen, I almost imagine myself on a ship in a hurricane-rocked ocean, tipped this way and that. But perhaps my imagination is just strange. In any case, at the keyboard is my favorite pianist, Glenn Gould, who is very Baroque-oriented, very Canadian, very low-seated over the piano, very eccentric on occasion, and very awesome. I think Beethoven would have approved of how he interpreted the movement, but you can watch and see if you agree with me yourself:

A Christmas time signature spotlight

Oh friends.  This holiday season really has me going! I can't get enough of all of the Christmas music and colorful lights (have I mentioned how much I love COLOR?!) and I'm excited to finally get working on Christmas presents! 

As I mentioned last week, lots of Christmas music is in the wonderful time signature of 6/8--but today I'm featuring a song with a slightly different rhythm to it ;)  My song this week is "Christmas in July" by Sufjan Stevens, and has the happy characteristic of being written in 5/4 and 9/8! The verses are in 5/4, an awesome time signature that always seems to throw my 4/4 brain for a loop, and the chorus is in 9/8, which always feels a bit like 6/8, except somewhat bouncier.  

Take a listen! 

My point in posting this song this week is mostly to point out this:  there are SO many other awesome time signatures than just 4/4!  We here at the 6/8 society are obviously quite partial to the awesomeness of 6/8, but  I definitely love it when a songwriter takes the time to write a song in a less-used time signature.  It seems to me to show a little more thought and creativity, and it sure becomes more interesting to listen to! So get out there, find some songs that are in unusual time signatures, and LOVE them!

Oh that Rhythm of my Heart

Let me start off, Hello again! Second post in a row is tons of fun. But in the near future, my dear Robyn will be back. 

So let's start!

This song is called "The Rhythm you started" by Sophie Madeleine. I now recommend you go and buy all of her music. (Cuz seriously, that stuff is good.)

I'm fairly certain that this was the first song that I was aware of it being in 6/8 when I listened to it. This actually made me fall in love with the tempo. Just sit there and listen.

I can assure you this song will make you feel happy. 

And she is British!

And if that doesn't make you happy.....

https://www.americanchia.com/?rtag=chiaobama&

I guarantee this will. 

The Morning is For Sleeping

Let me tell y'all, this song has been stuck in my head for days.

(Did I mention that Robyn is in the magical land of Florida this week, so I get to blog twice in a row!)

Coldplay is the bomb.com. Seriously.

Anyway, I seem to have misplaced my iPod at one of my debate tournaments, and I have been suffering completely without it. I didn't realize how much music was a part of my life until I didn't have it. 

I don't recall personally ever having bought this song, but it is just so darn moving. That is truly one of the absolute beauties of 6/8 it is ever moving, and ever living. I can really imagine this song being played as I am driving down the freeway in the country side, or as my plane is about to land at dusk. 

So please enjoy, the amazing Cemeteries of London by Coldplay!

It's finally that time of the year!

It's finally Christmastime! 

I am inordinately excited about Christmas this year.  I'm not even really sure why! It's possibly because I'm due to have our little boy not long after Christmas, so Christmas coming means he's almost here too--but I also just feel excited about the season :)  And now that Thanksgiving is over, I can allow myself to listen to Christmas music nonstop! 

Something great about Christmas music is that SO many Christmas songs are in 6/8! I'm going to spend the next few weeks reveling in them, and I'll be sure to share some of them with you here :) 

This week I'm really loving Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album Songs for Christmas. I listen to it online every year and always thinking about buying it, but I never do.  But this year, I finally caved and bought it! And man, am I glad I did.  2 hours of music for $16? Totally worth it. 

Today I'm loving his song "What child is this anyway?"  I've always loved that Christmas carol and it's even more enjoyable with that folky Sufjan vibe. 

Take a listen!

And enjoy this holiday season!

Oh Snap, I think He's a Pirate

Aside from me almost forgetting that today is my day to post, I'm now in a great mood!

I'm in my High School in orchestra, and I've played lots of music from today's repertoire. Stuff from Bach, Beethoven, Gershwin, and to lesser known, but equal as snazy music such as rosin eating zombies from outer space, wipe out, and the themes to the Chronicles of Narnia and Indian Jones.

I really like sea chanteys. They are often recognizable more than not bringing in elements if not the tune of Greensleeves. And guess what.

They are almost always in 6/8.

Not only does 6/8 create a ever moving, and ever flowing feel to a song of the high seas, it also appears to be easier to sing to when you are drunk.

So to combine both a sea chantey, and a very very famous movie into one great 6/8 experience, here is, "He's a Pirate"!

The Merry Meeting of Country Folk

Here, ladies and gentlemen, we have the third movement (which was nicknamed "The Merry Meeting of Country Folk" by the composer) of Beethoven's ode to nature, his "Pastoral" Symphony (#6). This symphony was written at just about the same time as his fifth one, nicknamed "Fate," which is sort of strange because of how different in tone they are. I read somewhere that the only reason they were numbered as they are is because of their concert order when they debuted. But in any case, if any of you didn't know, Beethoven adored nature - he and Thoreau probably would have been good pals. In a letter to the Baroness von Drossidick, he said, "How happy I am to be able to wander among bushes and herbs, under trees and over rocks; no man can love the country as I love it. Woods, trees and rocks send back the echo that man desires." And later, in 1814, he said, "My miserable hearing does not trouble me here. In the country it seems as if every tree said to me: 'Holy! holy!' Who can give complete expression to the ecstasy of the woods! O, the sweet stillness of the woods!"
The Pastoral Symphony was his attempt to channel the joy he felt out in nature. Enjoy one of the more upbeat movements in the piece, played by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitink.

An album of epic proportions

Friends, I have a new favorite album.  It's Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay, and it is rocking my socks off! (check out some of their songs here: link!)

Coldplay's sound is so open and awesome, and one of the songs on their new album is even in 6/8! 

Ahh.  Just close your eyes and soak it in.  

(And be sure to look up the rest of the album--it's not in 6/8, but it IS awesome!)

Spotlight: 3/8

As a dear cousin to the signature of 6/8, 3/8 is as worthy in its merits.

The point of all this is that this past week, The final installment of the Harry Potter films was released. As a die hard potter fan, I immediately took the opportunity to watch it on DVD as soon as the opportunity arose.

It makes me cry, time after time.

Any way, in honor of such a great master piece, and the ending of an era, I decided to do a spotlight on one of the most recognizable tunes of the past decade. Hedwig's theme characterizes everything that I love about music. It has great swells, enchanting dynamics, and great timing. And it is in 3/8!

As a note, the theme goes into 4/4 at about 1:40, and returns back into 3/8 at about 4:08.

Beethoven's "Scherzo" from Symphony 3

Ah, ladies and gentlemen, tonight we observe a revolution - and no less! This piece, Beethoven's Symphony 3 (nicknamed the "Eroica"), was the music which immortalized Beethoven as the bridge between the Classical and Romantic eras. There is risky innovation throughout this whole symphony, as well as great tides of emotion, ranging from the supremely joyful (as we see in this movement) to the deeply despairing (look for movement 2, or the "Marcia Funebre"). An interesting fact: this symphony would have been far more scandalous than it actually was, had Beethoven follwed through in dedicating and naming the symphony after Napoleon Bonaparte, whose Republican values Beethoven admired. However, after hearing that Napoleon had crowned himself emperor, Beethoven viciously erased Napoleon's name from the dedication page and said, "So he too is nothing more than an ordinary man. Now he also will trample all human rights underfoot, and only pander to his own ambition, he will place himself above everyone else and become a tyrant!" Ferdinand Ries' whole account of the symphony's creation can be perused here. So, after the composer's decision to remove Napoleon from the score, the symphony merely came to be called "Eroica," or "Heroic." And boy, is it bold - this symphony would surely go in my saving-the-world playlist, if I had one of those on my iPod.
In any case, for another perspective on this third movement specifically - there is a part in one of my most favorite books, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, in which one of the main characters, teenage Mick Kelley, is sitting beneath the window of someone's house, someone who owns a radio. Here, the music-loving girl encounters Beethoven for the first time in the form of this mind-blowing symphony. I shall not describe her entire experience with the music, as everyone should read this book and I don't want to ruin it - however, as for the movement you are about to hear, it is described (paraphrased) thus: "(The third movement) was like all the greatest people in the world springing up in a hard, free way." Enjoy the 6/8 amazingness.

The pace of 6/8

In rummaging through my library of 6/8 music, I realized that many of the songs on the list are ones that have been pretty significant or moving to me at some point or other in my life.  The moving part, I feel, comes from the nature of 6/8 itself--unlike many other time signatures, 6/8 feels to me like an eternal loop--never really beginning, never really ending, and always driving forwards.  The pace set by the time signature often lends the music a meditative air, which is possibly why so many ballads seem to be written in 6/8.  

One song in 6/8 that I've liked longer than any other is Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.  There was a time in my life when the lyrics ("And I don't want the world to see me / Cause I don't think that they'd understand / when everything's made to be broken / I just want you to know who I am") really spoke to me, and I feel that the 6/8 time signature really helped that sentiment settle in and influence my thinking. 

Take a listen:

"But I was so much Older Then..."

Greetings 6/8 Society Readers! My name is Robyn, and I come from North Carolina - I was most graciously invited to contribute to this site by my dear music-loving friends, Aaron and Mrs. Catherine.
Tonight, in my haste to find something swingy, I came upon a wonderful little-known tune of Bob Dylan's called "My Back Pages." It is sort of slow, so the critical listener might contradict me and say, "This is 3/4, Robyn." But oh contraire! I think that this song is just...punchy enough, let's say, that it can be considered a 6/8 piece (I mean that there is enough of an accent on the first beat of every triplet to make it more 6/8 than 3/4).
In any case, here is the song that a traveling guitarist played at our homecoming tailgate last year, when I jogged up in my marching band uniform and requested Bob Dylan.

Oh what Joy!

One of my favorite things to happen while listening to music, is as I am tapping to the beat it occurs to me that it is in 6/8!

It really just makes me want to meet the artist and pat them on the back, and say, "Good job!"

The other day at a debate tournament, waiting through finals, I was listening to one of my favorite artists, Regina Spektor. I do love her style, and she is such an amazing musician.

Any way, as I was listening to one of my favorite songs by her, I began counting, as I always do.

And it hit me.

You're only what you give back

In my excitement to write my last post, I realized I never introduced myself!

My name is Catherine.  I'm a soon-to-be college graduate, wife to my amazing husband Jesse, and soon-to-be mother to our little boy, who's due in January! I love playing music (on violin, guitar and piano), listening to music, reading, playing games and crafting, and I write about my adventures over at Her Romantic Mind.

So in preparation for writing this blog post, I went through my whole iTunes library and made a playlist of all of the songs I own that are in 6/8. It turned out that I own 86 songs that are in 6/8, which makes up 3.6% of my iTunes library.  (86 songs in 6/8! it's meant to be!)  In doing this search, I actually discovered that I had more songs in 6/8 than I realized, and that many songs that I love but haven't listened to in awhile are in 6/8 as well.  It was pretty exciting! 

In my hunt, I was reminded how much I love the song "Earth" by Imogen Heap. It just makes me want to move--dance, sway, or at the least tap my toes! See if it does the same for you! 

I slip on the Sidewalk, and fall on my face!

Although he is not of my favorite repertoire, Owl City has published more songs in 6/8 than any other current pop artist. Some are more romantic, while others are simply fun.

This evening, as I was driving back from a party, the first snow of the year began, and is proceeding to cover all the grounds. Having been born and raised in the good ol' south, snow came only at the very end of December, but mostly in January. And in my mind, snow has always been connected with Christmas. Although, I have only lived through one white Christmas, in 2010, and after doing a little research, the prior white Christmas in that city was in 1947. Now that I am living in the mountainous west, I do believe I will be getting used to the snow.

So despite it still being November, I am more than ready for it to be Christmas. I love that spirit of love, happiness, and fun. And in honor of that fun, and in the spirit of 6/8, I present Owl City's Peppermint Winter!

May I Introduce my self,

Hello!

My Name is Aaron. I am one of the two authors of the 6/8 society.

I am a high school student, and I happen to also maintain another blog, Page Turning.

I play the lovely Bass in Orchestra, and I am a self taught pianist. I enjoy the Rubik's cube, taking long walks in the woods, I am the happy owner of a Tortoise, and I live a 6/8 life style.

One of the first songs that made me fall in love with 6/8 was an enchanting song by Young the Giant, called 'Typhoon'. I certainly hope that you feel this song as much as I have.

The richness of living a 6/8 lifestyle

By far my top reason for loving music written in 6/8 time is because you can dance to it--but it is not just some ordinary ballroom dance that goes with 6/8 time, but the wonderful, graceful Viennese Waltz! 

When my awesome husband Jesse and I got married, I had just finished taking a social dance class and had learned Waltz and Viennese Waltz. I love the way waltzing feels--graceful and gentle and wonderful--and I decided that since our wedding day would likely be the only time I'd wear anything nearly that fancy, I wanted to waltz at our reception! I tried to teach my sweet husband to waltz--but unfortunately walking in a straight line in 3/4 time was too difficult for him.  On a whim, I tried to teach him the more complex Viennese waltz, and he caught right on! (I attribute this directly to the magic of 6/8 time)  And so, we were able to Viennese waltz at our wedding reception.  It was a fun thing to do together as newlyweds, and has quickly become a very happy memory for both of us.  

Here's the video of our dance, if you're curious! 

And here's the full song, if that 40 second snippet wasn't enough for you!

And that, my friends, is a wonderful example of the richness of living a 6/8 lifestyle.

An Inauguration towards Contemplation

Welcome to The ⁶⁸Society!

We are so glad you could join us this day!

Through the recent history of popular music, general society has continued to degrade its way into accepting the styles and sounds of quickly made, and cheap to produce music. Aside from the grace of differentiating key signatures, much of the pop repertoire has settled into a preset, repeatable pattern. Inclusive in this pattern is to write songs in Common time, or  ⁴⁴. 

The merits of this time signature are not to be diminished, however its excessive use in the current repertoire has caused its individual value to decrease. Over and over, more songs are being written to conform to this model. 

When an artist breaks from this mold, and branch his or her self into the realm of  ³⁴, one can assume that the thought and foresight of that song was greater than its relative peers. 

However, when the rare instance occurs that a song has been crafted in the signature of  ⁶⁸ it achieves a higher standard of  being; a sense of life that can only be captured in the ever moving, ever living time signature.

And that brings us here today, to the founding of The ⁶⁸Society.

Here, we value above all the merits of ⁶⁸. We love the difference of it, and the life it gives. We understand the rarity it entails, and appreciate the style it composes.