Compound time is where the beats are subdivided into groups of three or six – for instance in 6/8 or 12/8. If you’re a blues-rock type of player, the most familiar use of compound time might be in a slow 12/8 blues or a shuffle.
It’s common for soloists to use even subdivisions of the beat to float over the pulse. These also add greater rhythmic variety to the palette of rhythms that we as soloists can call upon. Fantastic exponents of compound time range from Frank Zappa to Robben Ford.
