Online Metronome
A steady click from 30 to 250 BPM, with tap tempo to find any speed — free, in your browser.
This online metronome gives you a rock-steady click at any tempo from 30 to 250 BPM. Set the speed with the slider or type an exact number, choose a time signature so the first beat of each bar is accented, and press play. No app to install, nothing to sign up for.
The tap tempo button solves the "what speed is this song?" problem: tap along with the track for a few beats and the metronome reads your tempo, so you can practise at the song's real speed — or wind it down 20 BPM until the hard bar is clean.
Practising to a click is the fastest way to expose rushing and dragging. Guitarists use it to keep chord changes even, pianists to hold steady sixteenths through difficult passages, and drummers to build the internal clock that everything else in the band leans on.
How to use the metronome
- Set your tempo: drag the slider, type a BPM, or tap the tempo button in time with a song.
- Pick a time signature (4/4 by default) to get an accent on beat one.
- Press play and let the click run.
- Practise with it; nudge the BPM up or down between repetitions.
- Stop the click when you are done — settings stay put for the next run.
Practice tempos that actually build speed
The standard method: find the tempo where you can play the passage perfectly three times in a row — often 50 to 60% of target speed — then raise the metronome by 4 or 5 BPM and repeat. Slow, clean repetitions teach your hands the right motion; fast, sloppy ones teach the wrong one just as effectively.
For reference, the classical tempo names map roughly to: largo 40–60 BPM, adagio 66–76, andante 76–108, moderato 108–120, allegro 120–156, presto 168–200. Most pop and rock sits between 90 and 140 BPM, which is why 120 is the default on so many devices.
BPM and time signatures explained
BPM — beats per minute — is simply how many steady pulses fill a minute: 60 BPM is one click a second, 120 is two. A time signature such as 4/4 or 3/4 groups those beats into bars, and the metronome accents beat one so you always feel where each bar begins.
Knowing both lets you read most sheet music directly: a marking like "♩ = 96" sets the BPM, and the time signature at the start of the staff tells the metronome how many beats to group and accent. Match the two and you are practising at the pulse the composer intended.
How the click stays steady
The click is scheduled using the browser's audio clock, which is sample-accurate, rather than the coarse JavaScript timers that made older web metronomes audibly drift. Each beat is queued a little in advance so the pulse stays even even while the rest of the page is busy.
In practice that means you can trust it for serious work: keep the tab open and audible and it holds tempo without wandering. Everything runs locally in your browser with no sign-up and nothing uploaded, so it loads once and simply plays.
Getting the most from tap tempo
Tap tempo answers "how fast is this?" — tap the button along with a recording for four to eight beats and the metronome averages the gaps into a BPM. It is the quickest way to lock onto a song's real speed before you play along with it.
It is just as useful for finding a starting point: tap roughly the feel you want, read the number, then dial it down 15 or 20 BPM to drill a hard passage cleanly before climbing back up. Tapping a few extra beats gives a steadier average than the bare minimum.
How each instrument uses it
Guitarists lean on the click to keep chord changes and strumming even, and to push tricky riffs up in small steps. Pianists use it to hold steady sixteenths and balance the hands through awkward passages, while wind and string players use it to catch the rushing that robs long lines of intonation.
Drummers get the most fundamental benefit: playing to a click builds the internal clock the whole band leans on, and practising fills against it exposes the habit of speeding up when things get busy. Singers and rappers use it for phrasing and to keep a rehearsed delivery locked to tempo.
Accents and subdivisions
Accenting beat one with a higher-pitched click turns an undifferentiated stream of ticks into felt bars, which is what lets you stay oriented in 3/4, 6/8 or odd meters instead of losing your place. Choose the time signature that matches the music and the downbeat announces itself.
When a passage has fast notes between the beats, mentally subdividing — counting "1-e-and-a" against each click — keeps them even. Some players set the metronome to a slower main pulse and fit the subdivisions inside it, which builds a stronger sense of the beat than clicking every note.
Reliability notes and related tools
The one caveat is mobile: phone browsers may pause audio in a background tab, so keep the metronome in the foreground while you practise, with the tab unmuted and the volume up. On desktop a background tab is generally fine.
If instead of a steady click you need to count down a fixed practice block, the timer handles that with a sound alert; the stopwatch measures how long a run-through takes; and the Pomodoro timer structures longer practice into focused sessions with breaks.
Frequently asked questions
What BPM range does this metronome cover?
30 to 250 BPM, which spans everything from very slow ballad practice to fast metal and bebop tempos. Type an exact number for precision or use the slider for quick changes.
How does tap tempo work?
Tap the button in time with the beat — four to eight taps is enough — and the metronome averages the gaps between your taps into a BPM. It is the quickest way to match a recording's speed.
Is an online metronome accurate enough for serious practice?
Yes. The click is scheduled with the browser's audio clock, which is sample-accurate, not the sloppy JavaScript timer of older web metronomes. Keep the tab open and audible and it will not drift.
Can I accent the first beat of the bar?
Yes. Choose a time signature such as 4/4, 3/4 or 6/8 and beat one plays a distinct, higher-pitched click so you always know where the bar starts.
Is it free, and does it work on my phone?
Free with no sign-up, and it runs in any modern mobile or desktop browser. On phones, keep the tab in the foreground — mobile browsers may pause audio in background tabs.
What tempo should a beginner practise at?
Slower than feels comfortable. If the piece is marked at 120 BPM, start around 60 to 70, get three flawless repetitions, then add 5 BPM. Speed you cannot play cleanly is not speed yet.