Online Metronome

60BPM

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Sound

How to use the Online Metronome?

Set the tempo

Use the slider to set your tempo from 30 to 500 BPM. You can also use arrow keys for quick adjustments, or click Tap BPM and tap at your desired tempo. The metronome will automatically match your tapping speed.

Choose time signature and accent pattern

Select a time signature (like 4/4, 3/4, 7/8, 11/8 etc.) from the dropdown menu, then choose an accent pattern to emphasize specific beats within each measure. This helps you internalize complex rhythms and time signatures.

Customize sounds and features

Choose different click sounds for primary beats and subdivisions from the dropdown menus. Enable optional features: Custom mode for custom subdivision patterns, Silent Bars to alternate sound on/off between measures, Timer to set practice duration, or Swing Percentage for jazz and shuffle grooves.

Start and save

Press the Start button (or spacebar) to start playing. It will click at your selected tempo and accent pattern. Save your current configuration with a custom name to quickly reload your favorite practice settings later.

Time Signatures and Accent Patterns

A time signature has two numbers: the top number shows how many written notes are in each bar, and the bottom number shows the written note value.

In music theory, simple time groups beats in twos (common in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4), while compound time groups in threes (6/8, 9/8, 12/8). For example, 6/8 is often counted as two groups of three — 3 + 3 — but it can also be set to straight 8ths for six equal beats when you want even clicks.

Odd time signatures mix groups of two and three, such as 5/4 or 5/8 counted as (3 + 2) or (2 + 3), and 7/8 or 7/16 counted as (2 + 2 + 3) or (3 + 2 + 2). Some signatures share the same grouping but differ in note value (e.g., 6/8 versus 6/4), which changes how dense the pulses feel at the same BPM.

This metronome accents the downbeat at the start of every bar. Choose a time signature, then select an accent option to set the grouping you want — for example (3 + 3) or (2 + 2 + 3), or pick "Straight" options for even clicks. For custom groupings, use Custom mode to build uneven subdivisions like 8-16 or 16-8-16.

Time	Accent Options	Feel	Try It
2/4	Straight Quarters 8th Subdivision	Simple duple	2/4 Metronome
3/4	Straight Quarters 8th Subdivision	Simple triple	3/4 Metronome
4/4	Straight Quarters 8th Subdivision	Simple quadruple	4/4 Metronome
5/4	3 + 2 2 + 3	Odd time	5/4 Metronome
6/4	3 + 3	Compound duple	6/4 Metronome
7/4	3 + 2 + 2 2 + 2 + 3 2 + 3 + 2	Odd time	7/4 Metronome
3/8	Straight 8ths 16th Subdivision	Simple triple	3/8 Metronome
5/8	3 + 2 2 + 3	Odd time	5/8 Metronome
6/8	3 + 3 Straight 8ths	Compound duple or six equal beats	6/8 Metronome
7/8	2 + 2 + 3 3 + 2 + 2 2 + 3 + 2	Odd time	7/8 Metronome
9/8	3 + 3 + 3	Compound triple	9/8 Metronome
11/8	3 + 3 + 3 + 2 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 3 + 2 + 3 + 3 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 3 + 3 + 2 + 3	Odd time	11/8 Metronome
12/8	3 + 3 + 3 + 3	Compound quadruple	12/8 Metronome
5/16	3 + 2 2 + 3	Odd time	5/16 Metronome
6/16	3 + 3 Straight 16ths	Compound duple or six equal beats	6/16 Metronome
7/16	2 + 2 + 3 3 + 2 + 2 2 + 3 + 2	Odd time	7/16 Metronome
9/16	3 + 3 + 3	Compound triple	9/16 Metronome
12/16	3 + 3 + 3 + 3	Compound quadruple	12/16 Metronome

Time Signatures FAQ

How to know if a time signature is compound or simple?

Simple time uses beats that divide into two equal parts (typically with 2, 3, or 4 on top). Compound time uses beats that divide into three equal parts; the beat is a dotted value and the number of beats is the top number divided by three (commonly 6, 9, or 12 on top).

What is an odd time signature?

Odd (irregular or complex) meters use mixed groupings of two and three within a bar. Common examples include 5/8 or 5/4 grouped as (3 + 2) or (2 + 3), and 7/8 grouped as (2 + 2 + 3) or (3 + 2 + 2).

How to count 12/8 time signature?

12/8 is compound quadruple: four beats per bar, each beat divides into three eighths. A typical count is (1-la-li 2-la-li 3-la-li 4-la-li), with a primary stress on each numbered beat.

How to count 9/8 time signature?

9/8 is compound triple: three beats per bar, each beat subdivides into three eighth notes. A common count is (1-la-li 2-la-li 3-la-li).

How to count 3/8 time signature?

3/8 has three eighth-note pulses per bar. Count the three equal eighths (1-2-3); at faster tempos it is often felt as a single beat with a three-part subdivision.

What's the difference between 3/4 and 6/8?

3/4 is simple triple: three quarter-note beats per bar, each beat divides into two. 6/8 is compound duple: two beats per bar, each beat is a dotted quarter dividing into three eighths. Both contain six eighths per bar, but the grouping and internal accents differ.

Tempo Markings

Tempo markings in sheet music (Largo, Andante, Allegro and so on) describe how fast a piece should feel. This table shows the rough BPM ranges for each marking so you can set the metronome to a sensible starting tempo, then nudge it up or down as you practise.

Tempo	Typical feel / use	BPM
Largo	Very slow; long chords and sustained notes	40–60 bpm
Adagio	Slow and expressive; singing, lyrical lines	66–76 bpm
Andante	Steady walking pace; many simple songs	76–96 bpm
Moderato	Comfortable mid-tempo; typical practice speed	96–112 bpm
Allegro	Fast and bright; upbeat themes and riffs	120–156 bpm
Vivace	Lively and driving; very energetic pieces	156–176 bpm
Presto	Very fast; runs, fills and technical passages	168–200 bpm
Prestissimo	Extremely fast; show-off or extreme tempos	200 bpm+

These ranges are only guidelines. If a piece says "Allegro" but feels messy at 140 BPM, set the metronome 10–20 BPM slower and see if you can play the passage cleanly three times in a row. If you can, raise the tempo in small steps (2–4 BPM) and repeat the same test; if you can't, drop back one step, tidy it up, and try again.

Over a few sessions you can often work a little above the written tempo, so that playing at the marked speed in rehearsal or performance feels controlled rather than rushed.

What is Swing Percentage?

Swing percentage is an expression of the rhythmic relationship between two 8th notes in a beat.

A common example would be 66%, the so-called "triplet swing". The first 8th note takes up two-thirds (66%) of the quarter beat's time, so it's basically a quarter note followed by an 8th note. A 75% swing percentage would be a dotted quarter note followed by an 8th note.

We could say that the first 8th note takes up as much as the swing percentage's time from the quarter beat, and the second 8th note takes the rest. Going by this logic, we could create a "reverse swing" by going below 50%, and 50% would be just straight 8th notes, no swing at all so to speak.

Explanation video

Some commonly used swing percentages are:

57% - Septuplet Swing
60% - Quintuplet Swing
66% - Triplet Swing