The Dave Brubeck Quartet · 1959 · 5/4 · ≈176 BPM
The 5/4 odd meter in Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Press play to count the meter or try the original drum exercise. Slow the pulse down or speed it up to feel how the pattern works.
Original practice groove. Feel five quarter notes as a group of three followed by two. This straight-pulse exercise is original; it does not recreate Joe Morello’s swing or recorded drum part.
● Hit · empty cell = rest. Switch a part off and play it yourself.
Repeating phrase
Count 5. Repeat after 5 quarter-note pulses.
Published reference: ≈176 BPM (quarter-note beat)
One click per quarter note. Accented cells sound stronger. 88 quarter-note pulses/min. Choose half speed for easier counting.
Note: This is a straight-quarter-note counting exercise. It does not reproduce the recording’s swing subdivisions, ride cymbal, drum solo or recorded groove, and does not synchronise with Spotify.
Tempo: Musicnotes lists 5/4 and a reference tempo of 176 BPM for its published arrangement. The exercise opens at half that tempo, 88 BPM, for counting practice.
Simplified educational demo, not a transcription of the recording.
Hear the real thing
Playing the track pauses the demo automatically (and vice versa) so they don't fight each other.
What's happening rhythmically
Take Five, composed by Paul Desmond and recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, is in 5/4. Each bar contains five quarter-note beats. You can make that length easier to feel by counting a group of three followed by a group of two.
Five beats in one bar are different from a five-against-four polyrhythm. The demo repeats a single five-beat bar. Its kick marks the start of each practice group, while the hi-hat gives you an even counting pulse. These are original teaching hits, not a transcription of the recording.
What to listen for
- On the record: the recurring five-beat phrase underneath the melody
- A three-plus-two grouping within the five-beat bar
- In the exercise: kick hits on counts one and four marking the two groups
Practise this rhythm
- Begin at the default half speed. Say one-two-three, one-two over the five numbered counts.
- Choose Drum exercise. Tap the kick on counts one and four without rushing the second group.
- Mute Snare and fill in its marked hits. Then switch to Count clicks and maintain the groove yourself.
