5/8 metronome: how to count 5/8 time
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.
| 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.
| 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.