What is Metronome?
The Metronome plays a steady, adjustable beat at any tempo from 20 to 300 BPM. Great for practicing timing and rhythm — this free tool uses your device audio with no data sent anywhere.
Set tempo between 20 and 300 BPM with a slider or by typing the exact number. Pick a time signature — common ones like 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8, plus odd meters 5/4, 7/8 and 9/8 for jazz and prog — and accent the downbeat of every bar. A volume slider sets click loudness without touching your system volume, and an optional 1- or 2-bar count-in gives you time to get ready before the live beat. A tap-tempo button reads your finger taps and converts them to BPM so you can match a song you're hearing. A practice timer can stop the click automatically after 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes, voice count speaks each beat number aloud so you can count along without watching the screen, and the spacebar starts and stops the beat so your hands stay on the instrument.
How to use
- Set your desired tempo using the BPM slider or type a specific value
- Choose a time signature and optional accent pattern
- Press play to start the metronome and practice along with the steady beat
When to use
- Locking in a tempo during guitar or piano scales so your phrasing stays even.
- Slowing down a tricky passage to 60 BPM, then ratcheting up 5 BPM each round.
- Setting drum-machine rehearsals when you don't have a click track loaded.
Result
Set the metronome to 120 BPM in 4/4 time with an accent on beat 1, then practice guitar scales in perfect rhythm.
FAQ
- What BPM should I use to practice a new piece?
- Start about 30% below the target tempo. So for a piece marked 120 BPM, begin at 84. When you can play three runs without errors, bump up 5 BPM. This staircase method beats trying to play at full speed straight away.
- Why does the metronome drift on my phone?
- Phones throttle background audio to save battery. Keep the tool tab in the foreground and the screen on. Modern browsers use the Web Audio API clock which is accurate to within a millisecond when the tab has focus.
- Does tap tempo need multiple taps to work?
- Yes, at least two taps so the tool can calculate the interval. More taps give a more reliable average. The display resets after 2.5 seconds of inactivity so you can start fresh on a new song.
- What's the difference between 6/8 and 3/4 time?
- Both contain six eighth notes per bar, but 6/8 groups them as two beats of three (compound duple), while 3/4 groups them as three beats of two (simple triple). 6/8 feels like 'one-and-a, two-and-a', 3/4 like a waltz.
- Can I export the click track as audio?
- The tool plays a live click but doesn't currently export to a file. For recording sessions, route your computer audio into your DAW (Reaper, Logic, Ableton) using a virtual cable, or just record a few bars from the speaker output.
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