If you can count to 5, you can play in 5/4. Let’s quickly demystify this fun irregular/odd time signature.

In 5/4, the 5 means there are five beats to each measure or bar. The 4 means the quarter note gets the pulse. You can easily relate this to 4/4 and add one count or break it down into groupings of 2+3 or 3+2 per measure. 5/4 fits into any genre when used musically, sometimes even just for a turn-around; it can be found in classical, jazz, hip hop, R&B, jazz fusion, rock, progressive rock, country, etc.

The nuance of grooves in 5/4 comes from either spelling out the feeling of five in each bar or blowing out the feeling of the phrases into two or more bars, creating wider phrasing. Here are some examples:

In This Article

• One-Bar Phrases
• Multi-Bar Phrases
• 5/4 vs 5/8
• Famous Songs in 5/4 Time

One-Bar Phrases

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5/4 One Bar Phrase: 4/4+1

Taking a 4/4 phrase, we will add one beat at the end.

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5/4 One Bar Phrase: 3+2

Here, we phrase the 5/4 as three beats plus two beats.

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5/4 One Bar Phrase: 2+3

Reversing the last example, we take the 5/4 as two beats plus three beats.

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Here is a favorite of mine:

Multi-Bar Phrases

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5/4 Two Bar Phrase

We have a combination of ten counts to orchestrate by utilizing a two-bar phrase. I have repeated the phrase to make it a total of four bars.

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The quickest way to feel bars of five is to train your ears to hear phrases in five. Pick some melodies in five and sing them as you create a groove to compliment where your ears lead you. Check the Spotify list at the bottom if you need some ideas for melodies.

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5/4 Four Bar Phrase

Here, we have 20 counts to orchestrate with. I repeated the four bars to make an eight-bar phrase.

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5/4 Playing in 4 Over the Bar

Experiment with playing phrasing over the bar. Here, we layer a standard 4/4 8th note groove over 5/4.

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Here's a tip for composing parts for a band: If you have a melody in 5, a great starting point is to pick out parts to accentuate and build your groove around those. Consider smoothing out the phrasing, leaving space, and adding variations to avoid the music coming across as math unless that is your goal.

5/4 vs 5/8

The differences: In 5/4, the 4 means the quarter note gets the pulse; in 5/8, the 8 means the eighth note gets the pulse; this is a distinct difference in the underlying pulse.

The similarities: Both have a five feel. We can count both by counting to five.

More Groove Ideas

I’ve compiled 13 ideas for you to explore on my Youtube channel.

Famous Songs in 5/4 Time

There are a handful of famous songs in 5/4 across different genres, such as:

• Take Five - Dave Brubeck Quartet
• Mission Impossible - Adam Clayton
• 15 Step - Radiohead
• 5/4 - Gorillaz (obviously)

Here is a “Spotify list of five tunes in five” to explore these.

Happy drumming! Z