Why practise with a metronome
A metronome gives you an outside beat to play against. It shows you where you rush, where you drag, and which bars are really hard. Most players are surprised by how uneven they are at first. After a few weeks of using one, your own sense of pulse gets much steadier.
How to use it
- Set the tempo with the slider, the − and + buttons, or the up and down arrow keys (hold Shift to move by 10).
- Pick the beats per bar to match your music: 4 for 4/4, 3 for 3/4, and so on. The first beat of each bar gets a higher click.
- Subdivide to hear eighth notes, triplets or sixteenths between the beats. It makes a slow tempo much easier to keep.
- Tap tempo to find the speed of a song you are learning: tap along and the bpm appears.
Tempo markings
Before metronomes, composers used Italian words for speed. They roughly line up with bpm: Largo (very slow) is about 50 to 60, Adagio about 70 to 75, Andante (walking pace) about 80 to 105, Moderato about 110 to 120, Allegro (fast and lively) about 120 to 155, and Presto (very fast) about 170 to 200. The name under the number tells you which range you are in. Learn them with the music terms flashcards.
Counting and rhythm
Not sure how to count a rhythm? The rhythm drill teaches note values, time signatures and counting, and the metronome is the best partner for it: clap or tap each pattern against the click.
Frequently asked questions
What does bpm mean?
Beats per minute: how many steady pulses (beats) fit in one minute. At 60 bpm there is one beat every second. At 120 bpm there are two a second.
How does tap tempo work?
Tap the button in time with the music. After the second tap the tool measures the gap between taps, averages the last eight, and shows the tempo. Pausing for more than two and a half seconds starts a fresh count.
What tempo should I practise at?
Slower than you think. Set a speed where you can play the passage perfectly three times in a row, then raise it by 4 to 5 bpm. If you make mistakes, drop back a step. This is the single most effective way to build speed without building bad habits.
What are the beats per bar for?
They match the time signature. 4 beats is 4/4, 3 beats is waltz time (3/4), 6 beats with eighth-note clicks sounds like 6/8. The first beat of each bar gets a higher click so you can hear where the bar starts.
What are eighths, triplets and sixteenths?
They divide each beat into more clicks. Eighths give two clicks a beat (1 & 2 &), triplets give three (1 trip let), and sixteenths give four (1 e & a). Use them to feel the space between beats, and to practise faster rhythms against a steady pulse.
Does the metronome work offline or on my phone?
It works in any modern browser on phone or computer. The clicks are generated on your device, so there is nothing to download. On phones, keep the screen awake and turn the ringer on, since some phones silence web audio in silent mode.