Thank you Peter. I agree that 12/8 is fairly straightforward to get out of 4/4 with a triplet feel. 6/8 doesn't feel the same way to me. If I could get a proper 2/4, the the triplet feel trick would be fine.

The problem I see with the 4/4 solution (for 6/8) is that the natural 1 and 3 beats are not equally strong. This gives the feeling of 12/8 rather than 6/8. This is especially noticeable in some country and rock songs, where the rhythms are deliberately "square".

Thanks to all who have contributed. I will explore further.