Metronome
How to use
- Set the BPM using the slider, the number field, or by tapping the big Tap Tempo button in time with the music.
- Pick your time signature — the dots show one for each beat in the bar.
- Add subdivisions (2 = eighth notes, 3 = triplets, 4 = sixteenth notes) if you want a click between the main beats.
- Hit Start (or press the spacebar). Press it again to stop.
Why use a metronome?
A metronome is the simplest practice tool there is, and the most underrated. Playing along with a steady click trains your internal sense of time — the part of your playing that audiences feel even when they don't notice it consciously. Drummers, guitarists, pianists, and singers all benefit from the same habit: practice slowly, with a click, and gradually push the tempo up.
The tap-tempo button on this metronome lets you instantly match the BPM of any song you're hearing — tap along for a few beats and the BPM appears. Useful for jamming with a recording, transcribing, setting up a delay pedal, or just figuring out how fast a song is.
For practice, start with subdivisions. Setting the metronome to 2 gives you an eighth-note grid; 3 gives you triplets; 4 gives you sixteenth notes. The accented beat 1 (in blue) helps you stay oriented in the bar, especially in odd time signatures like 5/4 or 7/8.
FAQs
How accurate is this metronome?
Very accurate. The clicks are scheduled using the Web Audio API's sample-accurate clock with a 25ms lookahead — the same technique professional DAW developers use. Timing drift is typically less than 1 millisecond per minute.
Why does it keep clicking when I switch tabs?
Web Audio runs at the OS level, not the page level, so it doesn't pause when you switch tabs. That's intentional — useful when you're following along in another window or recording into a separate app.
What's the difference between time signature and subdivision?
Time signature defines how many beats are in a bar (top number) and what kind of note gets one beat (bottom number). Subdivision tells the metronome to click in between those main beats — so 4/4 with a subdivision of 2 will click eight times per bar instead of four.
What does "BPM" stand for?
Beats per minute — how many beats happen in 60 seconds. 60 BPM is one beat per second; 120 BPM (the default here) is two per second, which sits in the middle of most pop, rock, and dance music.
Why are the tempo names different (Largo, Allegro, etc.)?
Those are traditional Italian tempo markings that classical composers and conductors still use. They roughly correspond to BPM ranges — Largo is around 40–60 BPM, Andante 76–108, Allegro 120–168, Presto 168–200. The label updates as you change the BPM.