What is a metronome and what does it do?

A metronome plays regularly spaced clicks to give you a reference pulse for music practice. BPM means beats per minute, but the note that counts as one beat matters: this tool shows quarter note in /4 meters, eighth note in 3/8, and dotted quarter note in compound 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8. It does not listen to a song or identify its tempo automatically.

How do I set a metronome for 6/8 time?

Choose 6/8 in Time signature. The BPM number then counts dotted-quarter pulses, two per bar. Eighths supplies three quieter divisions per pulse, so count 1-and-a, 2-and-a. At dotted quarter = 60, the two main pulses are one second apart and each eighth-note click is one third of a second apart. Use the linked 6/8 practice page for the initial setup and examples.

What if my 6/8 score marks an eighth or quarter note BPM?

Read the note symbol printed beside the number. Convert eighth-note BPM to dotted-quarter BPM by dividing by three: eighth = 180 means dotted quarter = 60. Convert quarter-note BPM by multiplying by two thirds: quarter = 90 also means dotted quarter = 60. The tool accepts whole-number displayed pulses from 20 to 300 BPM; a noninteger conversion is rounded when entered, and converted values outside that range are unsupported. A bare 6/8 BPM number does not identify its unit.

How are 3/8, 9/8 and 12/8 different?

3/8 here has three eighth-note pulses per bar. 9/8 has three dotted-quarter pulses and 12/8 has four; each compound pulse contains three eighth notes. Choosing Eighths gives nine or twelve clicks per bar while keeping the displayed dotted-quarter BPM. These are regular groupings; custom asymmetrical accents and mixed-meter sequences are not supplied.

How does tap tempo work?

Tap the button, or press T while the engaged tool is on screen, at least twice on the displayed note pulse. Up to the last eight gaps are averaged. A gap longer than two seconds starts a new attempt, so tapping cannot set a pulse slower than 30 BPM; type 20 to 29 instead. The averaged value is shown before the whole-number tempo is applied.

What do the subdivision settings do?

In quarter-note meters, Quarter is one click per pulse, Eighth is two, Triplet is three and Sixteenth is four. In compound meters, Dotted quarters is one and Eighths is three. The extra clicks are quieter. Changing meter or subdivision resets the next unbooked click to the start of a bar; clicks already inside the short audio booking window can finish first.

How can I practise guitar or drums with a metronome?

Start at a tempo where you can play the passage cleanly. For guitar, play one note on each pulse, then two notes per pulse with Eighth selected in 4/4. For drums, alternate hands on the main pulse before adding quieter subdivisions. Raise the tempo in small steps after a clean repetition. The tool supplies click sounds and visual pulse dots; it supplies no backing drum loops, audio recordings or song analysis.

What do Largo, Andante and Allegro mean?

These conventional tempo labels vary between editions and are not a measurement. This table uses Largo 40 to 59, Larghetto 60 to 65, Adagio 66 to 75, Andante 76 to 107, Moderato 108 to 119, Allegro 120 to 167, Vivace 168 to 175, Presto 176 to 199, Prestissimo 200 and up. Below 40 it shows no marking. Always read the score's note unit; the same BPM number on a different unit can give a different note speed.

How accurately does it keep time when a page is busy?

A 25 ms page timer books clicks in the next 100 ms on the Web Audio clock. Already booked clicks do not inherit every page-timer delay. Requested times accumulate from earlier times, with floating-point compensation. A stall longer than that window can leave unscheduled clicks; the tool skips and counts them instead of firing them together. Device clock accuracy and speaker latency are not measured.

Will it play with the screen locked or in a background tab?

This depends on the browser and device. Background scheduling can be throttled and mobile browsers can suspend the audio clock. If the clock stops, playback ends with a message; return to the tab and press Start again. Keep the page visible during practice. Continuous playback with a locked screen is not promised.

Does it count aloud, flash a light or stop after a practice timer?

The dots show the current pulse and subdivision. They are a visual guide and can lag during page work. There are no spoken numbers, whole-screen flash, vibration, timed stop or saved audio download. Click, Wood and Beep are synthesized click voices, not drum backing tracks.

What is remembered in this browser?

Only valid controls you deliberately edit are saved when local storage is available. Opening a preset or pressing Start does not replace your saved tempo or meter. Changing just the sound on a preset saves that sound. Blocked storage leaves the current tool usable; no music is recorded or uploaded.

Metronome

Set a musical pulse from 20 to 300 BPM and press Start. Choose quarter-note meters from 2/4 to 7/4, three eighth-note pulses in 3/8, or the dotted-quarter pulse in 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8. Add subdivisions, tap a tempo, choose Click, Wood or Beep, and accent the first pulse. The note unit is always shown beside the tempo. Clicks are generated in your browser; no music file, microphone or account is needed.

Allegro · 4/4120quarter note pulses per minute

Tempo

Time signature

Subdivide

Sound

Accent first

Volume: 70%

Tempo always counts the displayed note unit. Quarter-note meters use one quarter-note pulse as the beat.

Stopped. Press Start, or the space bar, to hear 120 quarter note pulses per minute.

Timing methodbooked clicks and skipped gaps
Web Audio look-ahead scheduler: 100 ms window, 25 ms tick, beat times accumulated
Tap tempotap one displayed note pulse in time
Tap the button at least twice. The last 8 gaps between taps are averaged.
Soundclick, with the accent a higher pitch
A short burst of noise through a narrow filter, the sound of a mechanical metronome's escapement.
Keyboardhands stay on the instrument
Space start and stop ↑ ↓ one bpm ← → five bpm T tap

The shortcuts wake up once you have clicked or tabbed into the tool, and only while the metronome is on screen. Until then the space bar and the arrow keys scroll the page, the way they do everywhere else.

Tempo markings

The Italian markings and the beats per minute usually printed against them. They are a naming convention, not a measurement: composers used these words for two centuries before anyone attached numbers, and editions place the boundaries a few beats apart. The row matching your tempo is highlighted.

Marking	Beats per minute	Feel
Largo	40 to 59	very slow, broad
Larghetto	60 to 65	slow, a shade lighter than largo
Adagio	66 to 75	slow, at ease
Andante	76 to 107	walking pace
Moderato	108 to 119	moderate
Allegro	120 to 167	fast, bright
Vivace	168 to 175	lively
Presto	176 to 199	very fast
Prestissimo	200 and up	as fast as it will go

Common questions

What is a metronome and what does it do?: A metronome plays regularly spaced clicks to give you a reference pulse for music practice. BPM means beats per minute, but the note that counts as one beat matters: this tool shows quarter note in /4 meters, eighth note in 3/8, and dotted quarter note in compound 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8. It does not listen to a song or identify its tempo automatically.
How do I set a metronome for 6/8 time?: Choose 6/8 in Time signature. The BPM number then counts dotted-quarter pulses, two per bar. Eighths supplies three quieter divisions per pulse, so count 1-and-a, 2-and-a. At dotted quarter = 60, the two main pulses are one second apart and each eighth-note click is one third of a second apart. Use the linked 6/8 practice page for the initial setup and examples.
What if my 6/8 score marks an eighth or quarter note BPM?: Read the note symbol printed beside the number. Convert eighth-note BPM to dotted-quarter BPM by dividing by three: eighth = 180 means dotted quarter = 60. Convert quarter-note BPM by multiplying by two thirds: quarter = 90 also means dotted quarter = 60. The tool accepts whole-number displayed pulses from 20 to 300 BPM; a noninteger conversion is rounded when entered, and converted values outside that range are unsupported. A bare 6/8 BPM number does not identify its unit.
How are 3/8, 9/8 and 12/8 different?: 3/8 here has three eighth-note pulses per bar. 9/8 has three dotted-quarter pulses and 12/8 has four; each compound pulse contains three eighth notes. Choosing Eighths gives nine or twelve clicks per bar while keeping the displayed dotted-quarter BPM. These are regular groupings; custom asymmetrical accents and mixed-meter sequences are not supplied.
How does tap tempo work?: Tap the button, or press T while the engaged tool is on screen, at least twice on the displayed note pulse. Up to the last eight gaps are averaged. A gap longer than two seconds starts a new attempt, so tapping cannot set a pulse slower than 30 BPM; type 20 to 29 instead. The averaged value is shown before the whole-number tempo is applied.
What do the subdivision settings do?: In quarter-note meters, Quarter is one click per pulse, Eighth is two, Triplet is three and Sixteenth is four. In compound meters, Dotted quarters is one and Eighths is three. The extra clicks are quieter. Changing meter or subdivision resets the next unbooked click to the start of a bar; clicks already inside the short audio booking window can finish first.
How can I practise guitar or drums with a metronome?: Start at a tempo where you can play the passage cleanly. For guitar, play one note on each pulse, then two notes per pulse with Eighth selected in 4/4. For drums, alternate hands on the main pulse before adding quieter subdivisions. Raise the tempo in small steps after a clean repetition. The tool supplies click sounds and visual pulse dots; it supplies no backing drum loops, audio recordings or song analysis.
What do Largo, Andante and Allegro mean?: These conventional tempo labels vary between editions and are not a measurement. This table uses Largo 40 to 59, Larghetto 60 to 65, Adagio 66 to 75, Andante 76 to 107, Moderato 108 to 119, Allegro 120 to 167, Vivace 168 to 175, Presto 176 to 199, Prestissimo 200 and up. Below 40 it shows no marking. Always read the score's note unit; the same BPM number on a different unit can give a different note speed.
How accurately does it keep time when a page is busy?: A 25 ms page timer books clicks in the next 100 ms on the Web Audio clock. Already booked clicks do not inherit every page-timer delay. Requested times accumulate from earlier times, with floating-point compensation. A stall longer than that window can leave unscheduled clicks; the tool skips and counts them instead of firing them together. Device clock accuracy and speaker latency are not measured.
Will it play with the screen locked or in a background tab?: This depends on the browser and device. Background scheduling can be throttled and mobile browsers can suspend the audio clock. If the clock stops, playback ends with a message; return to the tab and press Start again. Keep the page visible during practice. Continuous playback with a locked screen is not promised.
Does it count aloud, flash a light or stop after a practice timer?: The dots show the current pulse and subdivision. They are a visual guide and can lag during page work. There are no spoken numbers, whole-screen flash, vibration, timed stop or saved audio download. Click, Wood and Beep are synthesized click voices, not drum backing tracks.
What is remembered in this browser?: Only valid controls you deliberately edit are saved when local storage is available. Opening a preset or pressing Start does not replace your saved tempo or meter. Changing just the sound on a preset saves that sound. Blocked storage leaves the current tool usable; no music is recorded or uploaded.

Clicks are booked a tenth of a second ahead on the Web Audio clock. Longer stalls can drop clicks; suspension stops playback. Device timing varies. Tap tempo averages the last eight gaps between taps.