Metronome

This free online metronome keeps a steady beat from 20 to 300 BPM. Press Start or Space and it clicks right away. You can set the tempo by slider, buttons, arrow keys or tap tempo, choose a time signature, accent or mute any beat, add subdivisions and pick from four sounds. It runs in your browser with no download or sign-up, and works with a mouse, a keyboard or a phone’s touch screen.

What the metronome does

A metronome clicks at an even rate, measured in beats per minute (BPM): 60 BPM is one click per second. This one schedules every click on your browser’s audio clock slightly ahead of time instead of using ordinary page timers, so each click lands exactly 60 divided by the BPM seconds after the last, even when the page is busy. The swinging arm and beat circles follow the same clock, so what you see matches what you hear.

How to use it

• Start and stop: press Start, press Space, or tap the beat display. P or Esc also stops it.
• Set the tempo: drag the slider, press plus or minus, or use the arrow keys (Up and Right are faster; hold Shift for steps of 10).
• Tap tempo: tap the button or press T in time with a song. From the second tap it sets the BPM from the average gap between your recent taps. Pause for two seconds to start a fresh count.
• Time signature: choose 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8 or 12/8, or Custom for any 1 to 16 beats over 2, 4, 8 or 16. Each beat in the bar gets one click, so in 6/8 you hear six even clicks per bar.
• Accents: beat 1 is accented by default with a higher, louder click. Click a beat circle to cycle it between accent (orange), normal (green) and mute (dashed). A muted beat is silent, along with its subdivisions, but still shows in the display.
• Subdivisions: 8ths add one quieter click between beats, triplets add two and 16ths add three.
• Sound and volume: choose Click, Woodblock, Beep or Cowbell, all generated by your browser, and set the volume.

Changes you make while it is playing, such as a new tempo or time signature, take effect on the next beat so the pulse never stumbles.

Tempo markings

Under the controls you’ll see common Italian tempo markings with the BPM ranges given in the Wikipedia article on tempo: Larghissimo (24 and under), Grave (24 to 40), Largo (40 to 66), Adagio (44 to 66), Andante (56 to 108), Moderato (108 to 120), Allegro (120 to 156), Vivace (156 to 176), Presto (168 to 200) and Prestissimo (200 and over). The article calls these very rough approximations for 4/4 time. The ranges overlap, so the label under the BPM can show more than one name. Tap a marking to jump to the middle of its range.

Practice tools

• Speed trainer: set how many BPM to add, how many bars between steps and a top tempo. For example, +5 BPM every 4 bars up to 160 climbs from your tempo to 160, then holds.
• Stop after: set a number of minutes. The time left counts down and the metronome stops on its own.
• Practice log: when you stop, a summary shows how long you played, how many full bars you completed and your tempo. Sessions of 3 seconds or more are saved, and the log shows the latest three.

All your settings are saved in your browser for next time.

Tips for practicing with a metronome

• Start slower than you think. Pick a tempo where you can play the passage cleanly, then use the speed trainer to raise it in small steps.
• Use subdivisions for tricky rhythms. Hearing the 8ths or 16ths makes it easier to place notes between the beats evenly.
• Mute some beats. Muting beats 2 and 4, or every beat but 1, makes you keep the pulse yourself and shows whether you rush or drag.

FAQ

Is this online metronome free?

Yes. It’s free with no account and nothing to install. One click or tap starts it.

How accurate is it?

Clicks are scheduled on the browser’s audio clock exactly 60 divided by the BPM seconds apart, with subdivisions spaced evenly inside each beat. Bluetooth headphones can add a fixed delay, but it doesn’t change the spacing between clicks.

Does it keep playing if I switch tabs?

Yes. It keeps time in the background and schedules clicks further ahead while the tab is hidden. Press P, Esc or Stop when you’re done.

Want to play along? Try our online Piano, or test your sense of pattern and timing with Simon.