Training›Rhythm›Time Signatures›5/8

Irregular meter · 5 beats per bar

5
8

Quick 5. Skipping, urgent — like someone always off-balance.

Accent pattern

STRONG·wk·wk · STRONG·wk (3+2)

5/8
Tap to play
BPM140

About 5/8 time

5/8 has five 8th-note beats, grouped 3+2 or 2+3. Similar feel to 5/4 but faster — the 8th note pulse makes it feel like something between 6/8 and 4/4, with one beat too many or too few. Common in Balkan folk music and modern classical composition.

Practice levels

Level 1
Beginner
Simple quarter-note patterns, consistent tempo
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Level 2
Intermediate
8th-note variations, slight tempo range
Start →
Level 3
Advanced
Syncopation and rests within the meter
Start →
Level 4
Expert
Complex fills, wide tempo range, mixed patterns
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Famous examples in 5/8

Bulgarian Folk Dances

Bartók

Mikrokosmos 5/8

Various Balkan Music

Traditional

Quintessential 5/8

Easily confused with

5
4

5/4

5/4 is twice as slow — the beat is a quarter note, not an 8th

7
8

7/8

7/8 has two more 8th notes — longer bar, different groupings

All time signatures

4/43/46/82/45/47/812/89/82/25/87/43/8