5/8 has five eighth notes in each bar, grouped as 2+3 or 3+2. It feels like two uneven beats, one short and one long, and is common in Balkan dance music. The metronome above plays 5/8 with an accent at the start of each group. Count it as: 1 2 1 2 3.
What does 5/8 mean?
The top number, 5, says how many notes fill one bar; the bottom number, 8, says which note value they are (eighth notes). 5/8 is an irregular (asymmetric) meter: its beats are grouped unevenly, here 2+3, so some beats are longer than others.
How to count 5/8
Count 5/8 as “1 2 1 2 3”. The grouping is 2+3, so you feel 2 beats per bar, and the first note of each group carries the accent.
Accent pattern for 5/8
Group
Length
Accent
Group 1
2 eighth notes
Strong (downbeat)
Group 2
3 eighth notes
Medium
Setting a metronome for 5/8
Set the metronome to 5/8 and let it click on the eighth note. Feel two beats per bar, a short one and a long one. Set the click to mark the start of each group so you hear the long–short pattern rather than five even pulses.
How long is a bar of 5/8?
With the click on the eighth note, one bar of 5/8 lasts 2.50 seconds at 120 BPM, 1.67 seconds at 180 BPM, 1.25 seconds at 240 BPM.
Bar length in 5/8 (click on the eighth note)
Tempo
One bar
Eight bars
120 BPM
2.50 s
20.0 s
180 BPM
1.67 s
13.3 s
240 BPM
1.25 s
10.0 s
Drum grooves in 5/8
These grooves from the SuperTime library are written in 5/8: Paidushko 5/8 (2+3). Each page shows the pattern hit by hit with its count, and plays it on the metronome.