Take Five is a jazz piece that has a melody in ternary, ABA, form. The rhythm section, consisting of the bassist, drummer and pianist, plays a rhythmic ostinato using the first two chords of the chart as an introductory vamp. The saxophonist introduces the head accompanied by a characteristic 'West Coast' sound. After the head is played, each member of the band, except the bassist, improvises over the song's form and chord progressions. The drummer however, improvises over a vamp switching between E flat minor and B flat seventh minor chords, using various performance practices and rudiments. After the drummer has improvised over the riff of the first measure, he cues the rest of the band for the recapitulation. During each solo, the ensemble builds behind the soloist, not only increasing in volume but in the density of their comping patterns. The climax of each section, although different every time it is performed, usually happens during the last entrance of the A theme. The piece is concluded by a developed motif following the final repetition of the head. Like the beginning, the alto saxophone is the main melodic player with the rhythm section accompanying him.
Take Five consists of two sections.The first section revolves around an ostinato consisting of two chords. Desmond has the second section progress from a C Flat Major to a B Flat Minor 7th, to a A Flat Minor 7th to a G Flat Major 7th. He does this twice, ending with an A Flat Minor 7th to a D Flat Dominant progression to end the second time through the chord progression. Most of the chord structure is heard through the guitar and bass with the bass player playing the root or the fifth of each chord.