Radiohead · 1997 · 5 over 4 · ≈102 BPM
The 5 over 4 polymeter in Let Down by Radiohead
Press play to hear the rhythm isolated. Slow it down, speed it up, or change the counts to feel how it works.
Every player fits the same bar: A splits it into 3, B into 2. They meet on beat 1.
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
The opening of Let Down hides one of the most beautiful polymeters in rock. The chiming guitar figure cycles in groups of five while the rest of the band sits in ordinary 4/4.
The five-note pattern starts one pulse later against the bar each time through, producing that shimmering, slightly weightless quality. Then everything realigns after twenty pulses and the cycle begins again.
What to listen for
- The high guitar pattern starting in a different place against the bar each repeat
- The realignment every twenty pulses: four cycles of five, five bars of four
- How the vocal floats over both layers without committing to either