12/8 Metronome

12/8 has twelve eighth notes in every bar, grouped in four sets of three. It feels like four big beats, each one split into a triplet, and it is the sound of slow blues, soul ballads and doo-wop.

What does 12/8 mean?

The top 12 means twelve notes per bar, and the bottom 8 means they are eighth notes. Like 6/8, it is a compound time signature: you feel four main beats, and each one is three eighth notes long.

You can think of 12/8 as 4/4 with every beat played as a triplet. That is why a shuffle groove can be written either as 4/4 with a swing feel or as 12/8.

TypeCompound quadruple, 12 eighth notes per bar

How to count 12/8

Say it: "ONE and a, TWO and a, THREE and a, FOUR and a"

Most players do not count to twelve. They count the four big beats and say the triplets in between: "1 and a, 2 and a, 3 and a, 4 and a". The big beats land on clicks 1, 4, 7 and 10.

Accent patterns to try

Press a pattern to set the metronome to it and start the click.

The tempo in 12/8

In 12/8 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 75 bpm that is 150 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: 50 beats a minute at 75 bpm. For a big beat of 60, set the tempo to 90.

How 12/8 feels

12/8 has a heavy, swaying feel. The four big beats keep it steady like 4/4, and the triplets inside each beat give it the lazy roll of a slow blues.

In a slow blues the drummer usually hits the snare on big beats 2 and 4, which are clicks 4 and 10. Try the backbeat pattern to hear it.

Songs in 12/8

• Red House by Jimi Hendrix
• Since I've Been Loving You by Led Zeppelin
• Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Oh! Darling by The Beatles

Practice 12/8 on guitar

1. Set the tempo to 60 bpm and strum a downstroke on the four big beats only, counting the triplets out loud.
2. Strum all twelve clicks with downstrokes, hitting the four big beats harder.
3. Play a slow blues in A, one chord per bar, with the backbeat pattern on.
4. Switch to big beats only and keep the triplets even on your own.

Learn 12/8 with a teacher

Hear it played, count along and try it yourself with these video lessons from the Infinite Guitar library:

Time Signatures: 6/8 - Overview Sean Conklin Time Signatures: 6/8 - Example 1 (Easy) Sean Conklin 6/8 Rock Ballad w/Solo - Performance Free with an account · Sean Conklin

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Other time signatures

Back to the online metronome

12/8 time FAQ