11/8 has eleven eighth notes in each bar, grouped unevenly, for example 3+3+3+2 or 2+2+3+2+2. It is rare in pop music but common in some Balkan dances and progressive music. The metronome above plays 11/8 with an accent at the start of each group. Count it as: 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2.
What does 11/8 mean?
The top number, 11, says how many notes fill one bar; the bottom number, 8, says which note value they are (eighth notes). 11/8 is an irregular (asymmetric) meter: its beats are grouped unevenly, here 3+3+3+2, so some beats are longer than others.
How to count 11/8
Count 11/8 as “1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2”. The grouping is 3+3+3+2, so you feel 4 beats per bar, and the first note of each group carries the accent.
Accent pattern for 11/8
Group
Length
Accent
Group 1
3 eighth notes
Strong (downbeat)
Group 2
3 eighth notes
Medium
Group 3
3 eighth notes
Medium
Group 4
2 eighth notes
Medium
Setting a metronome for 11/8
Set the metronome to 11/8 and let it click on the eighth note. Learn one grouping at a time and accent each group’s first note. Speak the groups aloud until the bar feels like one long phrase rather than a count to eleven.
How long is a bar of 11/8?
With the click on the eighth note, one bar of 11/8 lasts 5.50 seconds at 120 BPM, 3.67 seconds at 180 BPM, 2.75 seconds at 240 BPM.
Bar length in 11/8 (click on the eighth note)
Tempo
One bar
Eight bars
120 BPM
5.50 s
44.0 s
180 BPM
3.67 s
29.3 s
240 BPM
2.75 s
22.0 s
Drum grooves in 11/8
These grooves from the SuperTime library are written in 11/8: Kopanitsa 11/8 (2+2+3+2+2). Each page shows the pattern hit by hit with its count, and plays it on the metronome.