Metronome Subdivisions
Subdivisions make the spaces inside a beat audible. Keep the main pulse in mind while you listen to the smaller clicks.
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.
Divide the beat
These choices follow the beat unit. In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 the usual beat is a quarter note. In 6/8, three eighth notes inside a dotted quarter are the regular division, not a triplet.
Accents and silence
Accent marks the main click of that beat. Silent removes that main click and keeps its place. Smaller divisions still sound. A change during playback waits until the next bar.
Time and sound
Short tick with a noise attack.
Divide a quarter-note beat
| Setting | Equal sounds per quarter-note beat | One counting option |
|---|---|---|
| Beat only | 1 | 1 |
| Eighth notes / quavers | 2 | 1 and |
| Eighth-note triplets | 3 | 1 trip let |
| Sixteenth notes / semiquavers | 4 | 1 e and a |
At quarter note = 60, the illustrative sound rates are 60, 120, 180 and 240 sounds per minute. The quarter-note beat remains at 60 in every row. Counting syllables vary between teachers; use the system that matches your lesson.
Move between straight divisions and triplets
Set a comfortable quarter-note pulse. Clap two equal sounds per beat, then three, then return to two without speeding up the main beat. Listen to the main click if the transition feels unstable.
Triplet eighth notes divide a quarter-note beat into three equal parts. Ordinary eighth notes in simple metre divide it into two. In 6/8, three eighth notes within a dotted-quarter beat are the regular division, not an extra triplet instruction.
Use accents and silence deliberately
An accent marks a selected sound more strongly. A silent beat removes a click while the underlying time continues. They are different practice choices: silence is not a pause button.
Try hearing the full bar first, then removing one main click while keeping the same count. Restore it to check whether you arrive with the pulse. Choose a simpler pattern if you lose the bar.
Check the beat before adding detail
More clicks are not always easier to follow. Start with the main pulse, add the division needed for the passage, and remove it again when you can count independently. For a planned speed change, use the tempo trainer.
References
Open Music Theory: simple meter and counting, tuplets and compound meter. Checked 7 November 2026.