5/4 songs

[moe.ron]

i don't know if we had a thread about this and it got deleted but i couldn't find one, anyway my band fell into a 5/4 song and we're stuck finding riffs to glue it together. can anyone tell me some songs in 5/4 other than my wave by soundgarden, preferably something that would fit in a weird grunge band

[nhzoso]

The Gorillaz do a song named 5/4, although I am not sure if it is actually in 5/4. Been awhile since I heard that one

[Ozzy Biz]

15 step by Radio head is a good one.
Nothing else comes to mind immediately

[Dystisis]

Many Tool songs (or parts) are in 5/4. An example is The Grudge.

Don't remember much else off the top of my head.

[stasz]

5/4- 56 Hope Road (sections in 5/4, sections in 4/4)

Everything's Alright from Jesus Christ Superstar

Living in the Past- Jethro Tull

Four Sticks- Led Zeppelin (although I believe that's 5/8, and it switches often to 6/8)

Guitar Solo from The Trees- Rush

The prechorus from Priceless- Incubus

[moe.ron]

thanks guys i'm looking into it. i knew tool had some but i could easily listen to one and totally miss it.

[aydee]

y'all got a 5/4 thread and nobody's said anything about Dave Brubecks TAKE 5 ???

[moe.ron]

i know of take 5...good call though. we're looking for a guitar riff for inspiration, my drum track is already set

[maddrummr]

i know of take 5...good call though. we're looking for a guitar riff for inspiration, my drum track is already set

if i ever practice 5/4...i have to use that bass guitar part to warm up...its so perfect for counting in 5/4

[Ben.G.Man]

you should try "Dog" by Thomas Lang. It switches between 7/16, 9/16, 5/4 and 4/4.
quite interesting.
check it out

[zambizzi]

Lateralus by Tool has 5/4 parts in it that are quite tricky as they're heavily polyrhythmic against the other musicians in the band...it's a head trip and I'm still learning to play it right 3 months later.

The main groove throughout goes in the following order 9/8, 8/8, 7/8. Through the rest of the tune there is a mixture of 4/4, 5/4, and 12/8. It's as if Danny Carey just said "hell with it, every odd meter I can fit into a trippy rock tune, I'm going to!".

[Class A Drummer]

Take Five by Dave Brubeck.

He also does some other 5/4 stuff i think and 6/4. Great odd time signauture songs.

[millerdakiller]

yo, just because a song starts in 5/4 doesn't mean it has to stay that way. I actually find using 5/4 for one or two measures just to bump the groove off a beat and mess with people's heads is the best way to use it. Try going 5/4 and then switching to 3/4 or 4/4 for the chorus. or do a 5/4, 7/4 repeating patter(which translates into 8/4 or two measures of 4/4 with phrasing over the barline). or you could even go double time and jump to 5/8. There are a lot of things you can do, think outside of the box. Granted, 5/4 is kind of outside of the box, so think outside of that. ha

[moe.ron]

i did suggest going into another time but we were having trouble getting anything to work with this song. its one of those troublesome ones with its own personality, this one being fairly evil.

[2bsticks]

Tarkus by Emerson Lake and Palmer. Some great classic drumming here.

[MykeyInChains]

The Mission Impossible Theme!

:)

[intooder]

Seven Days - Sting/Vinnie from 10 Summoner's Tales.

[DogBreath]

Clicky linky. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_works_in_unusual_time_signatures#5 .2F4_or_5.2F8) .

[slingerland755]

Clicky linky. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_works_in_unusual_time_signatures#5 .2F4_or_5.2F8) .

Cool link DB,
Looking over those tunes brings back a bunch of memories of frustration. I have learned (or tried to learn) many of those tunes/beats. I used a variation of "Apocalypse in 9/8" for my little drum solo. Haven't thought about that one in years.

[Muckster]

Morning bell, 15 Step - Radiohead
Living in the past - Jethro Tull
Seven Days - Sting
Rosetta Stoned - Tool

That's all that i can think of right now.

[Funky Crêpe]

if you havent heard it check out "Cantaloupe Island" by herbie hancock...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfsnVYVd3iI
it has a crazy unusual time signature....and if you get off the left handed pres rolls and rim hits....its a killer!!!!
trust me
cheers, bryan

[Pavlos]

....preferably something that would fit in a weird grunge band

"Here come the Bastards" by Primus would fit good in a wierd grunge band. Or "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm" by Bartok.


And I totally didn't get that from Dogbreath's link.

[PQleyR]

if you havent heard it check out "Cantaloupe Island" by herbie hancock...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfsnVYVd3iI
it has a crazy unusual time signature....and if you get off the left handed pres rolls and rim hits....its a killer!!!!
trust me
cheers, bryan

That sounds like 4/4 to me, are you sure it's not just heavily syncopated?

[bobdadruma]

The Eleven by the Grateful Dead. One measure of 6/8 followed by a measure of 5/4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1YmFKRr6rU&feature=PlayList&p=1B7F0E4E18C40764&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=3

[ExPLiciT]

i know some mentioned tool already but Vicarious is in 5/4...well for most of the song anyways

[Deltadrummer]

That sounds like 4/4 to me, are you sure it's not just heavily syncopated?

That opening is great. It starts on the pick up to two and Tony's playing the upbeats on the snare; he gives you the downbeat on the snare for the opening. That's jazz-rock right there. You can do it either way. I play it with my band and sometimes we do it like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdt76-NDj2s
another good one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcA6YFgHDao&feature=related

[Funky Crêpe]

either way its an unreal song!....love herbie hancock.....
in my opinion the most popular song in 5/4 has to be take five!!....it set the pace for the others

[Naigewron]

Extensive list:
http://aufrecht.org/songs/?time_filter=5%2f4&page=1&orderby=title%2casc

[oldrockdrummer]

The toughest 5/4 to play is YYZ by Rush.

[Guz2]

I seem to remember one of the songs from Metallica's Master Of Puppets has a 5/4 signature...I think it was Battery...

[Deltadrummer]

either way its an unreal song!....love herbie hancock.....
in my opinion the most popular song in 5/4 has to be take five!!....it set the pace for the others

Take Five and LIving in the Past are the only two 5/4 songs to break the top 20 in the USA..

[Naigewron]

I seem to remember one of the songs from Metallica's Master Of Puppets has a 5/4 signature...I think it was Battery...

You might be thinking of Leper Messiah. Lars counts in the song with five hihat hits ("ONE! TWO! Tssch, tssch, tssch, tssch, tssch"), but the actual song is in standard 4/4 (it's surprising how many people think it's in 5/4 based purely on that intro though). Other than that, I can't think of any 5/4 songs on Master Of Puppets.

edit: Actually, there are single bars of 5/4 in Battery, where they sing the "BATTERY" line, but no prolonged sections of 5/4.

[Guz2]

You might be thinking of Leper Messiah. Lars counts in the song with five hihat hits ("ONE, TWO, Tssch, Tssch, Tssch, Tssch, Tssch"), but the actual song is in standard 4/4 (it's surprising how many people think it's in 5/4 based purely on that intro though). Other than that, I can't think of any 5/4 songs on Master Of Puppets.

edit: Actually, there are single bars of 5/4 in Battery, where they sing the "BATTERY" line, but no prolonged sections of 5/4.That's probably it, then. I just heard someone talk about there being a 5/4 song on MOP

Edit: just listened to Leper Messiah again and Lars derfinately counts to five...You can hear him behind the "tssch" sounds.And he hits the hi hat five times to count them in live: (at 1:11 in this video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ1z-QPr6ZE

[larryace]

Didn't the Ramones do a tune in 5/4?

Hopefully you're chuckling

[Muckster]

Didn't the Ramones do a tune in 5/4?

Hopefully you're chuckling

Yes, from thier "unpluged" album LOL

[Naigewron]

Yes, from thier "unpluged" album LOL

That's the one where they played with a string quartet, right?

[Naigewron]

Edit: just listened to Leper Messiah again and Lars derfinately counts to five...You can hear him behind the "tssch" sounds.And he hits the hi hat five times to count them in live: (at 1:11 in this video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ1z-QPr6ZE

Regardless, the song is still in 4/4 ;-)

[oldrockdrummer]

Didn't the Ramones do a tune in 5/4?

Hopefully you're chuckling

I dont think they can count to 5. they cant count past three when it comes to chords LOL.

[Big_Philly]

or do a 5/4, 7/4 repeating patter(which translates into 8/4 or two measures of 4/4 with phrasing over the barline).

5/4 + 7/4 = 12/4, so that would be 3 measures of 4/4. I think you mean 5/4 + 3/4.

[supermac]

Kid Gloves by Rush

Grace Under Pressure album

[DrumEatDrum]

Regardless, the song is still in 4/4 ;-)

Yes, most of the song is in 4/4, The "5" is actually the one of the next bar. Not sure why he counts 5, other than it must have made sense at the time.

Metallica has no songs that are entriely in odd times, but several songs on And Justice for All have bars of 5, 7 and such thrown in here and there.

[Naigewron]

Yes, most of the song is in 4/4, The "5" is actually the one of the next bar.


No it isn't. The riff starts on 1.