How to use the metronome
- Set the tempo with the number box, the slider, or the plus and minus buttons. Or tap the tempo button along with a song.
- Choose the time signature and, if you want, a subdivision and a sound.
- Press Start. The circles show the current beat, with the first beat accented.
- Change the tempo any time while it plays. The new tempo takes effect on the next click.
Common tempos: 60 to 76 BPM is slow (adagio), 76 to 108 walking pace (andante), 120 to 156 fast (allegro). Practice new pieces slowly and raise the tempo by 4 to 5 BPM at a time.
Questions
How accurate is the timing?
Clicks are scheduled ahead of time on the audio clock of your device instead of using a normal timer, so the beat stays steady even when the page is busy. Browsers cannot match a hardware metronome to the microsecond, but the rhythm is steady enough for practice.
How does tap tempo work?
Tap the button on the beat at least twice. The tempo is set from the average gap between your last few taps. If you pause for more than two seconds, counting starts again.
How do time signatures work?
The top number sets how many beats are in a bar, and the first beat is accented. The tempo counts the bottom note value, so 6/8 at 120 BPM clicks six times per bar with each click an eighth note at 120 per minute.
What are subdivisions for?
They add quieter clicks between the beats: two per beat for eighth notes, three for triplets, four for sixteenth notes. They help you play even rhythms at slow tempos.
Does it work on a phone?
It works on phones and tablets. Keep the page open and the screen on while you play, because browsers may pause audio for pages in the background.
Credits
Built by OneTooling using standard browser features. No third-party code runs on your data.