Online metronome

An accurate online metronome

This online metronome keeps time from 20 to 300 BPM right in your browser. Every click is scheduled on the device's audio clock rather than a plain timer, so at 120 BPM the beats land exactly 0.5 seconds apart with no drift. Numbered dots light up with each click. Use it for instrument or singing practice, band rehearsals or music exam preparation.

How to use it

1. Set the tempo with the slider, the −5, −1, +1 and +5 buttons or the "Tempo (BPM)" box. On a keyboard, the arrow keys change the tempo by 1 BPM, or by 5 with Shift.
2. Pick a "Time signature": 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8 or "Custom" (1 to 16 beats per bar).
3. Click "Start" or press the space bar. The same action stops it.
4. Under "Subdivisions", add eighth notes (2 per beat), triplets (3) or sixteenth notes (4). They play more quietly than the beats.
5. Choose a "Sound" (Click, Wood or Beep) and the "Volume". "Accent the first beat" makes beat 1 higher and louder.

Your settings are saved on your device for next time. On a supported phone, tick "Keep the screen on" so it does not go to sleep mid-practice.

BPM and time signatures in plain words

BPM means beats per minute. At 60 BPM you hear one click per second; at 120 BPM, two per second; at 75 BPM, one every 0.8 seconds. The time signature tells you how many beats make a group: 3/4 is a waltz (ONE-two-three), 4/4 covers most pop and rock songs, 2/4 suits marches. In 6/8 and 7/8 the metronome plays 6 or 7 clicks per bar and the BPM counts eighth notes: 6/8 at 180 BPM gives 60 big pulses per minute.

Italian tempo markings

Below the number, the tool shows the Italian tempo name. The ranges are a rough guide only: sources disagree by a few BPM.

Below 40 BPM the tool shows "Grave", above 200 "Prestissimo". So 120 BPM reads "Allegro", although some methods put 120 at the top of moderato.

Practice methods that work

• Start slowly. Play the hard passage at a tempo where it comes out clean every time.
• Speed up step by step. Tick "Speed trainer". Start at 100 BPM with "Increase by (BPM)" at 5, "Every (bars)" at 2 and "Up to (BPM)" at 120: you play 2 bars at 100, 2 at 105, 2 at 110, 2 at 115, then 120 until you stop. The starting tempo comes back afterwards.
• Practise subdivisions. Hearing eighth notes or triplets helps you place notes between the beats. At 120 BPM in triplets you hear 360 clicks a minute.
• Drop the sound now and then. With "Mute every other bar", one bar clicks and the next is silent. Keep playing: if you land right on the next click, your inner pulse is solid.

Find the tempo of a song

Play the song and click "Tap tempo" (or press T) on every beat. The tool averages your latest intervals: four taps 500 milliseconds apart give 120 BPM. After two seconds without a tap, the count starts over.

Away from music, the metronome sets the pace for a dance class or for exercise in time, such as squats on four slow beats to control the way down.

Frequently asked questions

Does it keep going if I switch tabs?

Yes, as long as the tab stays open. On a phone, sleep mode may cut the sound.

Why can't I hear anything?

Check the tool's "Volume", your device volume and your phone's silent switch.

How do I feel two beats in 6/8?

The tool only accents beat 1. Choose 2/4 with triplets instead: 6 clicks per bar, grouped in threes.

Can I go above 300 BPM?

No. Set half the tempo and add eighth notes.