5/4 time signature
5/4 means five quarter-note beats in a bar. It is an odd time signature, usually felt as a group of three and a group of two (1 2 3 1 2) or the other way round, which gives it a limp that never settles.
120 BPM, Allegro: fast and bright
Space starts and stops it, T taps the tempo, and + and − change it.
Opens the free editor with a beat playing. No account needed to start.
How to count 5/4
Count 1 2 3 4 5, leaning on 1 and a little on 4 for 3 + 2, or on 3 for 2 + 3. The metronome clicks five beats with the first one highest; listen for where the music puts its second accent.
| 5/4 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Odd (quintuple) |
| Beats in a bar | 5 |
| A beat is | A quarter note |
| A bar holds | five quarter notes or ten eighth notes |
Music in 5/4
"Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the "Mission: Impossible" theme and "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Holst’s The Planets.
5/4 or 5/8?
Both bars drawn to one scale: the wider a box, the longer its note.
5/8 also has five counts, but each is an eighth note, so a bar is half as long on paper. It is usually played faster and felt as two uneven beats, 3 + 2 or 2 + 3.
How to count it and where it is heard are on the page for the 5/8 time signature.
Questions about 5/4
What does 5/4 mean?
5/4 means five quarter-note beats in a bar. It is an odd time signature, usually felt as a group of three and a group of two (1 2 3 1 2) or the other way round, which gives it a limp that never settles.
Is 5/4 an odd time signature?
Yes. Five beats cannot split into equal groups of two or three, so it is called odd, irregular or asymmetric time.
What music is in 5/4?
"Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the "Mission: Impossible" theme and "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Holst’s The Planets.
What is the difference between 5/4 and 5/8?
5/8 also has five counts, but each is an eighth note, so a bar is half as long on paper. It is usually played faster and felt as two uneven beats, 3 + 2 or 2 + 3.
Play along with a beat
Open the free editor with a beat playing, set its time signature to 5/4, then add parts one by one. No account needed to start.
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