Tool · 2001 · 5/8 + 7/8 · ≈107 BPM
The 5/8 + 7/8 alternating meter in Schism by Tool
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. Learn how kick, snare and hi-hat fit into five then seven counts. This is a teaching example, not Danny Carey's recorded part.
● Hit · empty cell = rest. Switch a part off and play it yourself.
Bars in sequence
Count 5, then 7. Repeat after 12 eighth-note pulses.
Main riff: ≈107 BPM (quarter-note beat)
One click per eighth note. Accented cells sound stronger. 214 eighth-note pulses/min. Choose half speed for easier counting.
Note: The demo alternates 5/8 and 7/8 bar by bar. Count clicks illustrate the meter; the optional drum exercise is an original teaching groove. Neither reproduces the recorded part or synchronises with Spotify playback.
Tempo: The main riff is around 107 BPM in quarter notes, or 214 eighth-note clicks per minute. The demo starts at that approximate song tempo; choose half speed to practise slowly.
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 main riff of Schism alternates a bar of 5/8 with a bar of 7/8, twelve eighth notes in total, and the band has joked that it adds up to a single bar of 6.5/8. That is only the opening move: one published analysis counts around 47 meter changes across the song.
On the record the five and the seven happen one after another, not at the same time. The demo follows that order: count five eighth notes, then seven, before returning to the beginning. In Count clicks mode, a stronger click marks the start of each bar. The Drum exercise adds an original kick, snare and hi-hat pattern so you can practise the alternating meters.
What to listen for
- On the record: the riff leaning forward for five counts, then relaxing for seven
- In the demo: five clicks followed by seven, repeating every twelve eighth-note pulses
- How the bass keeps the pattern readable while the meters churn underneath
Practise this rhythm
Hear the pattern
Choose Drum exercise and half speed. Count five, then seven aloud before adding your hands.
Play the missing snare
Mute Snare and tap its marked hits yourself while the hi-hat and kick continue.
Play the missing kick
Restore Snare and mute Kick. Play the marked kick hits yourself, then switch to Count clicks and keep the groove going.
