7/4 has seven quarter-note beats in each bar, often felt as 4+3: a bar of 4/4 with its last beat taken away. Other groupings such as 3+4 and 2+2+3 are also used. The metronome above plays 7/4 with an accent at the start of each group. Count it as: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3.
What does 7/4 mean?
The top number, 7, says how many notes fill one bar; the bottom number, 4, says which note value they are (quarter notes). 7/4 is an irregular (asymmetric) meter: its beats are grouped unevenly, here 4+3, so some beats are longer than others.
How to count 7/4
Count 7/4 as “1 2 3 4 1 2 3”. The grouping is 4+3, so you feel 2 beats per bar, and the first note of each group carries the accent.
Accent pattern for 7/4
Group
Length
Accent
Group 1
4 quarter notes
Strong (downbeat)
Group 2
3 quarter notes
Medium
Setting a metronome for 7/4
Set the metronome to 7/4 and let it click on the quarter note. Count the bar as a group of four then a group of three, and accent the first beat of each. Once that feels settled, try the other groupings at the same tempo.
How long is a bar of 7/4?
With the click on the quarter note, one bar of 7/4 lasts 7.00 seconds at 60 BPM, 4.67 seconds at 90 BPM, 3.50 seconds at 120 BPM.
Bar length in 7/4 (click on the quarter note)
Tempo
One bar
Eight bars
60 BPM
7.00 s
56.0 s
90 BPM
4.67 s
37.3 s
120 BPM
3.50 s
28.0 s
Drum grooves in 7/4
These grooves from the SuperTime library are written in 7/4: 7/4 Rock (4+3). Each page shows the pattern hit by hit with its count, and plays it on the metronome.