“Take Five” was composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet on their 1959 album Time Out. It’s famous for its 5/4 time signature, unusual for jazz at the time, and it became one of the best-selling jazz singles ever. Joe Morello’s drum solo on the original is legendary.
The tune is in Eb minor. The A sections are a two-chord vamp, Ebm to Bbm7, over the famous piano ostinato that divides each bar into three plus two beats. The bridge moves through a series of chords in the relative major area, including Cbmaj7, Abm7 and Db7, before returning to the vamp. The form is AABA, with long vamp sections for the solos.
For improvisation, the 5/4 meter is the main challenge. Count the bar as “1-2-3, 1-2” to match the piano part. Eb Dorian and Eb minor pentatonic work well over the vamp. Paul Desmond’s solo is a model of melodic, lyrical playing: he uses short phrases and leaves space, letting the groove do the work.
Practice with a metronome set to the quarter note and count out loud. Learn the piano vamp, even if you’re not a pianist, to internalize the feel. Then improvise short phrases that fit within one or two bars before trying longer lines.
How to use this Take Five Lead Sheet PDF: print it or keep it on a tablet, mark the form sections and key centers in pencil, and write the guide tones you want to target above the tricky bars. Revisit those notes after each practice session so the tune gets easier every week.
Is it hard to play? The harmony is easy; the 5/4 feel takes practice. Recordings to study: Time Out and Brubeck’s live versions. Learn more about the composer on Paul Desmond’s Wikipedia page, and find more odd-meter jazz lead sheets on Minedit.