Tools
Online Metronome
A precise metronome that runs right in your browser. Set the tempo in BPM or tap it in, choose a time signature, accent the first beat and add subdivisions such as eighths or triplets. It uses sample-accurate audio scheduling, so the click stays steady even on a phone. Nothing to install.
How to use it
- Set the tempo with the slider or the +/- buttons, or tap the Tap button in time.
- Choose the time signature, for example 4/4, 3/4 or 6/8.
- Turn the accent on beat 1 on or off.
- Pick a subdivision: quarters, eighths, triplets or sixteenths.
- Press Start (or the space bar) and play along.
Why practise with a metronome
A metronome does two things: it tells you the truth about your timing, and it lets you measure progress. If you can play a passage cleanly at 80 BPM today and at 92 BPM in two weeks, you know you are improving. Without a click, most players speed up in easy parts and slow down in hard ones without noticing.
How to use it well
- Start slow. Find the tempo where you can play the passage perfectly three times in a row. That is your working tempo, even if it feels very slow.
- Increase in small steps. Raise the tempo by 4–5 BPM only after clean repetitions. If mistakes appear, go back down.
- Use subdivisions. Hearing eighth notes or triplets between the beats makes it much easier to place notes evenly, especially at slow tempos.
- Move the click. Once you are solid, let the click sound only on beats 2 and 4 (like a drummer's backbeat) or only once per bar. You become responsible for the time.
Tempo words
Classical scores often give tempo as Italian words: Largo is very slow (about 40–60 BPM), Andante a walking pace (about 76–108), Allegro fast (about 120–156) and Presto very fast. The exact numbers vary by edition and period, so treat them as a guide.
Practise with it
Every technical exercise on this site gives a starting tempo. Try the chromatic warm-up, alternate picking, the bass root–fifth exercise or the counting sheets in rhythm 1. Learn more in the lessons on tempo and dynamics, note values and rhythm and how to practise effectively.