5/4 has five quarter-note beats in each bar, usually felt as 3+2 or 2+3. The uneven grouping gives it a lopsided, rolling drive. The metronome above plays 5/4 with an accent at the start of each group. Count it as: 1 2 3 4 5 (grouped 1 2 3, 1 2).
What does 5/4 mean?
The top number, 5, says how many notes fill one bar; the bottom number, 4, says which note value they are (quarter notes). 5/4 is an irregular (asymmetric) meter: its beats are grouped unevenly, here 3+2, so some beats are longer than others.
How to count 5/4
Count 5/4 as “1 2 3 4 5 (grouped 1 2 3, 1 2)”. The grouping is 3+2, so you feel 2 beats per bar, and the first note of each group carries the accent.
Accent pattern for 5/4
Group
Length
Accent
Group 1
3 quarter notes
Strong (downbeat)
Group 2
2 quarter notes
Medium
Setting a metronome for 5/4
Set the metronome to 5/4 and let it click on the quarter note. Decide the grouping first, then accent the start of each group: beats one and four for 3+2, or beats one and three for 2+3. Count the groups, not five equal beats.
How long is a bar of 5/4?
With the click on the quarter note, one bar of 5/4 lasts 5.00 seconds at 60 BPM, 3.33 seconds at 90 BPM, 2.50 seconds at 120 BPM.
Bar length in 5/4 (click on the quarter note)
Tempo
One bar
Eight bars
60 BPM
5.00 s
40.0 s
90 BPM
3.33 s
26.7 s
120 BPM
2.50 s
20.0 s
Drum grooves in 5/4
These grooves from the SuperTime library are written in 5/4: 5/4 Jazz (3+2), 5/4 Rock (3+2), 5/4 Rock (3+3+2+2). Each page shows the pattern hit by hit with its count, and plays it on the metronome.