Today we come to the second-last question in the music theory quiz we’re putting together for TriviaPark.com and AheadWithMusic.com. Looking at the meter — the rhythmic pulse — of some common musical forms, we ask:
Who’s got the time?
Which of the following musical forms typically uses six-eight rhythm?
- A Baroque minuet
- A Celtic jig
- A Scott Joplin piano rag
- A Sousa march
The jigs of traditional Celtic music are generally in the lilting 6/8 meter, although ‘straight jigs’ in 2/4 and ‘triple jigs’ in 9/8 are also found. The minuet, like the waltz and many another dance form, is always in 3/4. Most piano rags are in a duple meter, either 2/2 or 2/4, with occasional exceptions such as Joplin’s Bethena: A Ragtime Waltz. A march, whether by Sousa or another composer, is essentially always in 4/4 (‘common’ or ‘march’) time.
