Quintuplet

Five in the time of four

In an even pulse a beat divides into two, four or eight equal parts. The quintuplet breaks this grid: it puts five equally long notes in the time in which otherwise four would stand. Because five notes have to fit into the same time as four, they are shorter than the ordinary notes of the line. The ratio is called 5:4.

Notation and other ratios

The usual sign is the figure 5 above or below the group, supplemented by a bracket if there is no continuous beam. The written-out ratio is rarer and appears where the figure alone leaves open how much time the group fills. In compound time five notes also occur in the time of three or of six notes. In simple time 5:4 is the normal case.

Counting

A quintuplet consists of five equal steps. It helps to feel it as five equal steps, for example with the count “one-two-three-four-five”, spread evenly over the time that four equal notes would otherwise fill (with sixteenth notes, one quarter note). What matters is that no syllable becomes longer or more stressed than the others.

Common mistakes

• Breaking the quintuplet into 3+2 and making the lengths unequal: All five notes share the time evenly.
• Playing the quintuplet too long: It fills exactly the time of the notes it replaces.
• Guessing the ratio: In compound time only the written-out ratio shows whether five for three or for six is meant.