5/4 Metronome

Tap a beat to accent or mute it

bpm Allegro

Time signature

Subdivision

Sound

  • Space Play / stop
  • Up arrowDown arrow Tempo
  • T Tap tempo
  • 1-4 Sounds

Speed Trainer

5/4 has five beats in every bar, and each beat is a quarter note. It is the most popular odd meter, and almost everyone feels it as a group of three plus a group of two.

What does 5/4 mean?

The top 5 means five beats per bar, and the bottom 4 means each beat is a quarter note. It is one beat longer than 4/4, and that extra beat is what makes it sound unusual.

TypeOdd meter (quintuple), 5 quarter notes per bar

How to count 5/4

Say it: "ONE two three, FOUR five"

Counting to five is easy. Feeling it is the hard part, so split the bar into groups. Most 5/4 music is 3+2 (accents on 1 and 4), and some is 2+3 (accents on 1 and 3). Pick the grouping the song uses and accent the start of each group.

Accent patterns to try

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

The tempo in 5/4

Every click is a quarter note, so what you hear matches the number on the screen: 120 bpm is 120 clicks a minute.

How 5/4 feels

5/4 feels like a bar of 4/4 with an extra beat, or a bar of 3/4 joined to a bar of 2/4. Either way it never quite settles, and that slight lopsidedness is what makes 5/4 riffs stick in your head.

Songs in 5/4

  • Take Five by Dave Brubeck QuartetGrouped 3+2
  • White Room by CreamThe opening
  • YYZ by RushThe opening
  • My Wave by SoundgardenThe verses
  • Living in the Past by Jethro Tull

Practice 5/4 on guitar

  1. Set the tempo to 90 bpm, strum on every beat and count "1 2 3 4 5" out loud.
  2. Use the 3+2 pattern and play a chord on 1 and another on 4. Then try 2+3 with the second chord on 3.
  3. Take a simple 4/4 riff and add one beat to the end of it. That is a 5/4 riff.
  4. Once it feels natural, turn the accents off and keep the grouping in your head.

Learn 5/4 with a teacher

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

Time Signatures: 5/4 - Overview Sean Conklin Time Signatures: 5/4 - Example 1 (Easy) Sean Conklin Time Signatures: 5/4 - Example 2 (Advanced) Sean Conklin Odd Meters - 5/4 Part 1 (Take 5 example). Nick Granville

Other time signatures

4/4Simple quadruple 3/4Simple triple 2/4Simple duple 6/8Compound duple 12/8Compound quadruple 7/8Odd meter 9/8Compound triple 5/8Odd meter 15/16Odd meter (sixteenth notes) 19/16Odd meter (sixteenth notes)

Back to the online metronome

5/4 time FAQ

How do you count 5/4 time?

Count "1 2 3 4 5" and accent the start of each group. In 3+2 the accents are on 1 and 4, in 2+3 they are on 1 and 3.

What is the difference between 5/4 and 5/8?

Both have five pulses per bar. In 5/4 each pulse is a quarter note, in 5/8 each is an eighth note, so 5/8 usually feels quicker and lighter.

Is 5/4 hard to play?

It feels strange at first because your body expects four beats. Counting out loud with the accents on usually clicks within a few practice sessions.