Triple metre

Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 (compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with ³
₄, ³
₈ and ⁹
₈ being the most common examples. The upper figure being divisible by three does not of itself indicate triple metre; for example, a time signature of ⁶
₈ usually indicates compound duple metre, and similarly ¹²
₈ usually indicates compound quadruple metre.

Shown below are a simple and a compound triple drum pattern.

$\new Staff << \new voice \relative c' { \clef percussion \numericTimeSignature \time 3/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 100 \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4 d' d } } \new voice \relative c'' { \override NoteHead.style = #'cross \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8[ a] a[ a] a[ a] } } >>$

$\new Staff << \new voice \relative c' { \clef percussion \numericTimeSignature \time 9/8 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4. = 80 \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4. d' d } } \new voice \relative c'' { \override NoteHead.style = #'cross \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8 a a a a a a a a } } >>$