🎮 How to Use
- Set BPM with the slider. Press ▶ Start.
- First beat of each bar plays a higher accent tone.
- Tap-tempo: click Tap in rhythm to find the BPM.
About this tool
Online metronome. Set BPM (beats per minute), choose time signature, hear an accented downbeat. Tap-tempo helps you find a song's BPM by tapping along.
About the metronome and tempo
A metronome is a steady audio click that marks beats per minute (BPM), the rate at which musical pulses pass. Musicians use it to lock playing to a fixed pulse, build technique at progressive speeds, and rehearse in time without a drummer. Tempo terminology in classical scores is verbal (Adagio around 66 to 76 BPM, Andante 76 to 108, Moderato 108 to 120, Allegro 120 to 168, Presto 168 to 200), but modern practice almost always works from numeric BPM markings introduced by Maelzel's mechanical metronome patent in 1815.
This browser metronome accepts BPM from 40 to 240 (covering Largo through Prestissimo), four common time signatures (4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 2/4), and a tap-tempo button that derives BPM from your finger taps. The downbeat (first beat of every bar) plays at 1320 Hz; subsequent beats play at 880 Hz, the same accent pattern used on hardware metronomes like the Boss DB-90 and Korg KDM-3.
How BPM, time signatures, and tap tempo work
BPM is a frequency in beats per minute, so the gap between two clicks in milliseconds is 60000 divided by BPM. At 120 BPM the gap is 500 ms; at 60 BPM it is 1000 ms; at 200 BPM it is 300 ms. The metronome schedules each click using setInterval(callback, 60000/bpm). Time signatures change which click gets the accent, not the click rate.
click_interval_ms = 60000 / BPM beat_position = (previous_beat + 1) mod beats_per_bar accent = (beat_position == 0) tap_BPM = 60000 / mean(interval_between_taps)
- BPM = beats per minute, the tempo number on the slider.
- beats_per_bar = 4 in 4/4, 3 in 3/4, 6 in 6/8, 2 in 2/4.
- accent = the higher-pitch click that marks the downbeat.
- tap_BPM = derived from the rolling average of recent tap intervals.
Worked example: practicing a piano scale
You are working on a C major scale, two octaves up and down, with sixteenth notes. Target performance tempo is 144 BPM (Allegro). Today you can play it cleanly at 88 BPM.
- Start tempo: set BPM to 88, time signature 4/4. One bar of sixteenths equals 16 notes.
- Click interval: 60000 divided by 88 = 681 ms per quarter click; 170 ms per sixteenth note.
- Increment rule: play three error-free repetitions, then raise BPM by 4. So 88, 92, 96, and on up.
- Target session: reach 112 BPM today (six clean increments). Stop the moment errors return; drop back 4 BPM.
- Next session: resume at 108 (one notch below your last clean rep) and continue. Most students reach the 144 target in 10 to 14 sessions.
Tempo terminology reference
| Term | BPM range | Feel | Typical music |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largo | 40 to 60 | Very slow, broad | Pachelbel Canon, Adele ballads |
| Adagio | 66 to 76 | Slow, at ease | Barber Adagio for Strings |
| Andante | 76 to 108 | Walking pace | Beatles Let It Be (74), hymn settings |
| Moderato | 108 to 120 | Moderate | Most pop ballads, Coldplay Yellow (173 half-time feel) |
| Allegro | 120 to 168 | Lively | Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik (130), dance pop |
| Vivace | 168 to 180 | Brisk | Bach Brandenburg 3 |
| Presto | 168 to 200 | Very fast | Drum-and-bass (170 to 180), Flight of the Bumblebee |
| Prestissimo | 200 to 240 | As fast as possible | Speed-metal, Liszt etudes |
Pitfalls to avoid
- Practicing only at performance tempo. If you cannot play it cleanly at 60 percent, you cannot play it at 100 percent; you are just rehearsing the mistakes. Always start below your error threshold and ratchet up.
- Headphone-out-of-phase confusion. Pure-tone clicks can sound ahead or behind depending on monitor latency. Use shorter percussive samples or wired phones for critical timing work.
- Skipping the subdivision. A 60 BPM click for sixteenth notes leaves 250 ms gaps between clicks where you must self-time three notes. Double the BPM and count "1-e-and-a" out loud, or use a subdivision setting.
- Tap-tempo with only two taps. Two taps gives one interval, which is noisy. Tap four to six times in a row before reading the BPM.
- Ignoring the downbeat accent. Without an accent you cannot tell where bar one starts. Always set the time signature and let the high-pitch click anchor your bar count.
- Mobile audio context not unlocking. iOS Safari requires a user gesture before audio plays. The Start button counts; auto-starting on page load will silently fail.
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Frequently asked questions
What BPM should a beginner practice at?
Beginners on guitar, piano, or violin typically start a new piece at 60 to 70 BPM, slow enough to play every note cleanly. Increase by 4 to 8 BPM only after three consecutive error-free repetitions at the current tempo. Most performance tempi sit between 90 and 140 BPM; technical passages target 150 to 200.
How accurate is a browser metronome compared to a hardware one?
This metronome runs on setInterval, which is accurate to roughly 1 to 4 ms on modern browsers. For studio work or click-track recording, a hardware metronome or DAW (Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools) using audio-clock scheduling is sub-millisecond accurate. For practice, lessons, and band rehearsal the browser version is indistinguishable.
How does tap tempo find the BPM?
Tap tempo measures the time between your last few taps, averages the intervals, and converts to BPM with 60000 divided by the average milliseconds per beat. Three to four taps in steady rhythm produce a stable reading. Old taps older than three seconds are discarded so a fresh tempo can be captured.
What is the difference between 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8?
4/4 (common time) has four quarter-note beats per bar and is the default for pop, rock, and most film scores. 3/4 has three quarter-note beats per bar, the waltz feel. 6/8 has six eighth-note beats per bar grouped into two pulses of three, giving the lilting compound-duple feel of Irish jigs and many ballads.
Why do I drift behind the metronome when I practice?
Drifting behind is almost always caused by anticipating the next note instead of locking onto the current click. Fix by counting subdivisions out loud (one-and-two-and), placing the click on the offbeat (set BPM to half tempo so clicks land on 2 and 4), or recording yourself to spot exactly where the lag starts.