: Tapping Hybrid meters Let's say I have the hybrid time signature given by 5/4 = 3/4 + 2/4. Would I tap this as 5 evenly spaced pulses? or is it two evenly spaced beats divided respectively into 3 and 2 evenly spaced pulses,

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The difference between 5/4 and 3/4+2/4 is not in the timing, it’s in the inherent stress or emphasis.

If we think of size indicating stress, like strong=O, medium=0 and weak=o then we can map out how some popular beats are normally stressed:

4/4 = O o 0 o | O o 0 o |
2/4 = O 0| O 0 |
3/4 = O 0 o | O 0 o | OR O o o | O o o |
5/4 = O o 0 o o| O o 0 o o| OR maybe O o 0 o 0|O o 0 o 0|

So we can see how 3/4 + 2/4 is different from 5/4:

3/4+2/4 = O o o O 0 | O o o O 0 |

The timing is the same, it’s just the pattern of emphasis that is different. So to actually answer: five evenly spaced pulses.

See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature#Additive_meters