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7/8 time signature

7/8 means seven eighth notes in a bar, in groups of two and three: most often 2 + 2 + 3 (ONE two THREE four FIVE six seven), also 3 + 2 + 2 or 2 + 3 + 2. It is an odd time signature, three uneven beats with one longer than the others.

180 BPM, Presto: very fast

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How to count 7/8

Count 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 for 2 + 2 + 3, leaning on each 1. The metronome plays 2 + 2 + 3: the first click highest and the start of each group next.

7/8 at a glance: its type, its beats and what a bar holds
7/8
TypeOdd: 2 + 2 + 3
Beats in a bar3 uneven beats, 2 + 2 + 3, of 7 eighth notes
A count isAn eighth note
A bar holdsseven eighth notes

Music in 7/8

Balkan folk dances such as the Bulgarian rachenitsa (2 + 2 + 3) and the Greek kalamatianos (3 + 2 + 2), and odd-time passages in progressive rock and jazz.

7/8 or 7/4?

Both bars drawn to one scale: the wider a box, the longer its note.

7/8: 1 2 1 2 1 2 3
7/4: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7/4 has seven quarter-note beats, so a bar is twice as long on paper. 7/4 is usually slower and counted beat by beat; 7/8 is faster and felt as three uneven beats.

How to count it and where it is heard are on the page for the 7/4 time signature.

Questions about 7/8

What does 7/8 mean?

7/8 means seven eighth notes in a bar, in groups of two and three: most often 2 + 2 + 3 (ONE two THREE four FIVE six seven), also 3 + 2 + 2 or 2 + 3 + 2. It is an odd time signature, three uneven beats with one longer than the others.

How do you count 7/8?

In groups of two and three, most often 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 for 2 + 2 + 3. Some music groups it 3 + 2 + 2 or 2 + 3 + 2; the first beat of each group is the stronger.

What music is in 7/8?

Balkan folk dances such as the Bulgarian rachenitsa (2 + 2 + 3) and the Greek kalamatianos (3 + 2 + 2), and odd-time passages in progressive rock and jazz.

What is the difference between 7/8 and 7/4?

7/4 has seven quarter-note beats, so a bar is twice as long on paper. 7/4 is usually slower and counted beat by beat; 7/8 is faster and felt as three uneven beats.

Other time signatures

4/43/42/45/46/47/42/23/26/89/812/83/85/87/8

For any tempo in any of them, use the online metronome.

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