Online Metronome
Choose a tempo, start the click and play along. Keep the volume comfortable and focus on a short passage.
Stopped
Quarter note
4/4 · 4 quarter-note beats
Range 20–300. BPM means beats per minute for the note unit beside the number.
Change pending. Change takes effect at the next bar.
Tap a steady pulse to estimate BPM.
Time and sound
Short tick with a noise attack.
Advanced
Accent pattern
Each beat is Normal, Accent or Silent. The word on the beat is the state. A change during playback waits until the next bar.
Saved settings
Tempo, metre, sound and trainer inputs stay in this browser under the key onlinemetronome.settings. Playback is not saved and does not start on its own.
Keyboard
- Space: start or stop, unless a text field, button or link has focus.
- Arrow keys: change the tempo by 1 BPM when the tempo field or tempo slider is focused.
Start with a steady pulse
- Enter a tempo in beats per minute (BPM).
- Check which note value the BPM refers to.
- Choose a time signature and press Start.
- Listen to a bar before joining in. Press Stop when you need a break.
For an illustrative starting point, try quarter note = 60 in 4/4 and count “1, 2, 3, 4”. This is an exercise setting, not a recommended tempo for every piece.
Choose what you want to practise
- Tap tempo: estimate a pulse by tapping along.
- Time signatures: compare 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8.
- Subdivisions: hear smaller divisions inside a beat.
- Tempo trainer: plan a gradual change in tempo.
What does BPM mean?
BPM means beats per minute. Quarter note = 60 means sixty quarter-note beats in a minute; quarter note = 120 means twice that rate. The note symbol matters: a dotted-quarter beat in 6/8 is not the same duration as an eighth-note division.
Changing the number of clicks inside a beat does not have to change the underlying tempo. Use subdivisions when you want more rhythmic detail rather than simply turning up the BPM.
Questions and related tools
Why is the click silent?
Press Start and check the page volume, device volume and selected audio output. Browsers may require an explicit interaction before allowing audio. If the pulse seems interrupted, stop playback, return to this tab and start again.
See help for more checks.
Where should I begin?
Repeat a short phrase at a manageable tempo. Keep the note value and pulse clear before trying faster settings.
Before practising a pitched instrument, use the relevant guitar tuner, bass tuner, ukulele tuner or violin tuner. Singers can explore comfortable notes separately at Vocal Range. These are related tools for pitch, not substitutes for rhythmic practice.
References
Music terminology: Open Music Theory: glossary and compound meter. Browser audio: MDN Web Audio best practices. Checked 7 November 2026.