What is a metronome and why practise with one?
A metronome is a tool that plays a steady click at a speed you choose, measured in beats per minute (BPM). Practising with it helps you keep a regular tempo, master difficult passages by starting slowly and speeding up step by step, and prepare to play with other musicians, accompaniments or an orchestra.
The mechanical metronome was patented by Johann Nepomuk Maelzel in 1815, and Beethoven was one of the first composers to add metronome markings to his music. That's why you still see "M.M." on sheet music today: it stands for "Maelzel's Metronome". M.M. ♩ = 60 means 60 quarter-note beats per minute, or one beat per second.
How to use our online metronome: BPM, time signatures, accents and subdivisions
- Set the tempo with the slider, the + / – buttons or by typing a number, anywhere from 20 to 300 BPM. The matching tempo marking, such as Andante or Allegro, appears next to it.
- Choose the time signature, for example 4/4 for most pop songs or 3/4 for a waltz.
- Turn on the accent to hear the first beat of each bar more strongly.
- Add subdivisions (eighths, triplets, sixteenths or off-beats) to work on complex rhythms.
- Pick a sound (Click, Woodblock or Beep) and set the volume.
- Press Start and play! The numbered beat boxes light up in time, so you can follow the bar with your eyes too.
Which time signatures can I choose?
Our metronome offers 18 time signatures. It clicks on the beat musicians feel and conduct, so in 6/8 you hear two clicks per bar, not six.
| Time signature | Clicks per bar | Each click is a | Often used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | 2 | quarter note | marches, polkas |
| 3/4 | 3 | quarter note | waltzes, minuets |
| 4/4 | 4 | quarter note | most pop, rock and classical music |
| 5/4 | 5 | quarter note | jazz, film music |
| 6/4 | 2 | dotted half note | slow compound pieces |
| 7/4 | 7 | quarter note | progressive rock, contemporary music |
| 2/2 (cut time) | 2 | half note | marches, fast classical movements |
| 3/2 | 3 | half note | Baroque and Renaissance music |
| 4/2 | 4 | half note | early and sacred choral music |
| 3/8 | 3 | eighth note | fast waltz-like pieces, scherzos |
| 5/8 | 5 | eighth note | folk music from the Balkans |
| 7/8 | 7 | eighth note | folk and progressive music |
| 6/8 | 2 | dotted quarter note | jigs, barcarolles, lullabies |
| 9/8 | 3 | dotted quarter note | slip jigs, flowing Baroque movements |
| 12/8 | 4 | dotted quarter note | blues, slow rock ballads |
| 6/16 | 2 | dotted eighth note | fast compound passages |
| 9/16 | 3 | dotted eighth note | fast compound passages |
| 12/16 | 4 | dotted eighth note | fast compound passages |
Which subdivisions can I choose?
Subdivisions add softer clicks between the main beats. The options change with the time signature:
- Simple time (such as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2): beat only, two (eighths), offbeat, triplet, triplet with the first, middle or last note silent, and four (sixteenths).
- Compound time (such as 6/8, 9/8, 12/8): beat only, three (every eighth note), long–short, first note silent, duplet, and six (sixteenths).
Options with a silent note are great for practising off-beat, swing and shuffle rhythms.
Tempo markings chart: from Grave to Prestissimo
Italian tempo markings tell you how fast a piece should be played. Use this chart to turn the marking on your score into a BPM setting. Our metronome shows the matching marking next to the BPM whenever you change the tempo.
| Italian name | Meaning | BPM range |
|---|---|---|
| Grave | very slow and solemn | 20–39 |
| Largo | broadly, slowly | 40–59 |
| Larghetto | fairly slowly | 60–65 |
| Adagio | slow, at ease | 66–75 |
| Andante | at a walking pace | 76–107 |
| Moderato | moderately | 108–119 |
| Allegro | fast, lively | 120–155 |
| Vivace | lively and fast | 156–175 |
| Presto | very fast | 176–199 |
| Prestissimo | as fast as possible | 200–300 |
These ranges are a guide: composers and performers interpret them differently, so also listen to your teacher and to recordings of the piece.
5 tips to practise effectively with a metronome
- Start 10–20% slower than the target tempo. If the piece is marked 120 BPM, begin at around 96–108 BPM.
- Increase by 4–5 BPM once a passage is clean. A good test: play it without mistakes three times in a row first.
- Practise difficult bars in a loop. Repeat just the tricky two to four bars with the click before playing the whole section.
- Alternate sound on and sound off. Play a few bars with the metronome, then a few without it, to build your inner pulse.
- Finish by playing the full piece at the target tempo. This checks that everything you practised slowly holds together at full speed.