Why does 6/8 have two main pulses and six clicks?

Six eighth notes are regularly grouped as two groups of three. A dotted quarter lasts three eighth notes, so the main pulse is dotted-quarter beat 1 and dotted-quarter beat 2. The Eighths setting clicks every eighth without changing that pulse tempo. Dotted quarters gives only the two main clicks.

How do I convert a 6/8 metronome tempo?

If your score says eighth note = 180, divide by three and enter 60. If it says quarter note = 90, multiply by two thirds and enter 60. If it says dotted quarter = 60, enter 60 directly. These describe the same note speed. Whole-number 20 to 300 dotted-quarter BPM is supported; other units are not automatically inferred.

Can I set 40, 50, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 or 140 BPM?

Yes, type a whole-number value from 20 to 300. At dotted quarter = 40, each eighth click is half a second apart; at 60 it is one third of a second; at 120 it is one sixth. A 6/8 query that only names BPM is ambiguous until you know the score's note symbol. The displayed value here always counts dotted quarters.

How do I practise a 6/8 rhythm?

Choose Eighths and tap your foot on the two louder main pulses while playing or clapping the six divisions: 1-and-a, 2-and-a. Then choose Dotted quarters to keep the divisions internally while hearing only the two main pulses. Use the accent toggle to distinguish the start of the bar. No voice speaks the counting syllables.

Is 6/8 the same as 3/4 or 3/8?

No. At a shared eighth-note speed, 6/8 normally groups its six eighths in two groups of three; 3/4 groups six eighths in three groups of two. Here 3/8 instead counts three eighth-note pulses per bar. Select the actual meter and read the note unit beside BPM.

Can the same tool handle 9/8 and 12/8?

Yes. Choose 9/8 for three dotted-quarter pulses or 12/8 for four. Eighths supplies nine or twelve clicks per bar. These are regular groups of three; changing the meter keeps the displayed pulse BPM but changes the bar length. Custom mixed or uneven groupings are unsupported.

Are the clicks immune to page delays?

Already booked Web Audio clicks use the audio clock. A delay beyond the 100 ms booking window can skip future clicks, which the tool counts. Browser suspension stops playback. Keep the tab visible during practice; the visual dots can lag behind audio during page work.

6/8 Metronome

This preset opens in 6/8 at dotted quarter = 60. Two main pulses make each bar; Eighths divides each into three clicks, giving six clicks per bar. Count 1-and-a, 2-and-a. The first click of the bar is accented and the divisions are quieter. Press Start, then adjust the tempo to your score. The number always counts dotted quarters, so an eighth-note or quarter-note tempo marking needs conversion first.

Larghetto · 6/860dotted quarter note pulses per minute

Tempo

Time signature

Subdivide

Sound

Accent first

Volume: 70%

Tempo always counts the displayed note unit. Each dotted quarter contains three eighth notes. Choose Eighths to hear all of them; the two groups in 6/8 are counted 1-and-a, 2-and-a.

Stopped. Press Start, or the space bar, to hear 60 dotted 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

6/8 pulse and click intervals

These examples use dotted-quarter BPM. Each bar has two pulses and, with Eighths selected, six clicks. Fractions are rounded in this display.

Dotted-quarter BPM	Main pulse interval	Eighth-click interval	Bar length
40	1.5 s	0.5 s	3 s
60	1 s	0.3333 s	2 s
90	0.6667 s	0.2222 s	1.3333 s
120	0.5 s	0.1667 s	1 s

Common questions

Why does 6/8 have two main pulses and six clicks?: Six eighth notes are regularly grouped as two groups of three. A dotted quarter lasts three eighth notes, so the main pulse is dotted-quarter beat 1 and dotted-quarter beat 2. The Eighths setting clicks every eighth without changing that pulse tempo. Dotted quarters gives only the two main clicks.
How do I convert a 6/8 metronome tempo?: If your score says eighth note = 180, divide by three and enter 60. If it says quarter note = 90, multiply by two thirds and enter 60. If it says dotted quarter = 60, enter 60 directly. These describe the same note speed. Whole-number 20 to 300 dotted-quarter BPM is supported; other units are not automatically inferred.
Can I set 40, 50, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 or 140 BPM?: Yes, type a whole-number value from 20 to 300. At dotted quarter = 40, each eighth click is half a second apart; at 60 it is one third of a second; at 120 it is one sixth. A 6/8 query that only names BPM is ambiguous until you know the score's note symbol. The displayed value here always counts dotted quarters.
How do I practise a 6/8 rhythm?: Choose Eighths and tap your foot on the two louder main pulses while playing or clapping the six divisions: 1-and-a, 2-and-a. Then choose Dotted quarters to keep the divisions internally while hearing only the two main pulses. Use the accent toggle to distinguish the start of the bar. No voice speaks the counting syllables.
Is 6/8 the same as 3/4 or 3/8?: No. At a shared eighth-note speed, 6/8 normally groups its six eighths in two groups of three; 3/4 groups six eighths in three groups of two. Here 3/8 instead counts three eighth-note pulses per bar. Select the actual meter and read the note unit beside BPM.
Can the same tool handle 9/8 and 12/8?: Yes. Choose 9/8 for three dotted-quarter pulses or 12/8 for four. Eighths supplies nine or twelve clicks per bar. These are regular groups of three; changing the meter keeps the displayed pulse BPM but changes the bar length. Custom mixed or uneven groupings are unsupported.
Are the clicks immune to page delays?: Already booked Web Audio clicks use the audio clock. A delay beyond the 100 ms booking window can skip future clicks, which the tool counts. Browser suspension stops playback. Keep the tab visible during practice; the visual dots can lag behind audio during page work.

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.