5/8 Metronome

5/8 has five eighth notes in every bar, felt as a group of two and a group of three. It goes by quickly, and it has a lopsided, skipping feel that you hear in progressive rock, metal and Balkan folk dances.

What does 5/8 mean?

The top 5 means five notes per bar, and the bottom 8 means they are eighth notes. The bar is short, so you usually feel just two uneven beats in it: a short one and a long one.

TypeOdd meter, 5 eighth notes per bar

How to count 5/8

Say it: "ONE two, THREE four five"

Count all five and accent the start of each group. In 2+3 the accents are on 1 and 3, in 3+2 they are on 1 and 4. At faster tempos you stop counting the numbers and just feel "short, long" or "long, short".

Accent patterns to try

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

The tempo in 5/8

In 5/8 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 100 bpm that is 200 clicks a minute.

How 5/8 feels

5/8 feels like a skip in your step. Because the two groups are different lengths, the music never settles into an even pulse, which gives riffs in 5/8 a restless, forward push.

Songs in 5/8

• Red by King Crimson
• Losing It by RushThe intro and verses
• Schism by ToolThe verses, alternating with 7/8
• Five Five Five by Frank ZappaAlternating with 5/4

Practice 5/8 on guitar

1. Set the tempo to 80 bpm and palm-mute a single note on every click, accenting the start of each group.
2. Play a chord on each accent and rest on the other clicks. Try both groupings.
3. Play two bars of 5/8 and then one bar of 6/8, and listen to how the shorter bar pulls you forward.

Learn 5/8 with a teacher

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

Odd Time: Subdividing 5/8 Mike Salow Odd Time: Intro & 5 Note Groupings Mike Salow Time Signatures: Mixing Them Together Ex. 1 (Easy) Sean Conklin

Other time signatures

Back to the online metronome

5/8 time FAQ