5/8 is similar to 7/8 in that it can be either simple or compound. In compound time it can be thought of as a bar of 6/8 with a quaver beat missing. To identify which timing it is use the same approach as laid out in the 7/8 grooves lesson.
You would count a bar of compound 5/8 '1 2 3 4 5'. Listed below are several examples of compound 5/8 grooves. As in the previous lesson, I have only used eighth and quarter notes for these grooves.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
Example 6
Example 7
Example 8
TASKS
- Learn the grooves above up to a tempo of at least 130bpm.
- Think about fill construction in compound 5/8.
- Create some 4 bar phrases in compound 5/8. For now, use three bars of a groove followed by one bar of a different groove.