Online MetronomeFree, Precise and Built for Real Practice

1. Set the tempo. Drag the slider, type any value from 20 to 300 BPM, or use the + and − buttons (hold them to move quickly). The Italian tempo marking – Andante, Allegro and so on – appears under the number.
2. Don't know the tempo? Tap it. Play the song and hit "Tap tempo" (or the T key) along with the beat 4–6 times. The tool takes the median of your taps, so one sloppy tap won't throw off the result.
3. Pick a time signature. 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8 or 12/8. The downbeat is accented automatically, and compound and odd meters come pre-grouped the way musicians actually feel them (3+3 in 6/8, 2+2+3 in 7/8).
4. Add a subdivision. Quarters, eighths, triplets or sixteenths. Subdivision clicks are softer than the main beat, so the pulse stays obvious even at very slow tempos.
5. Shape the accents. Tap any circle to cycle it between accented, normal and muted. That's how you get a click on 2 and 4 only, one click per bar, or a different grouping in 7/8.
6. Choose a sound and volume. Four sounds: Click, Wood, Beep and Bell. Next to drums or a distorted guitar, Bell and Beep cut through best; for piano or acoustic guitar, Wood is easier on the ears over a long session.
7. Keep your hands on the instrument. Space starts and stops, the arrow keys nudge ±1 BPM, Shift+arrow jumps ±5, and T taps the tempo.

Why this metronome stays accurate

Most basic web metronomes fire each click from an ordinary browser timer – which is why they stutter when the computer is busy or the tab is hidden. Here, every click is scheduled in advance on the sound card's own clock (Web Audio), a fraction of a second before it plays, with single-sample precision. The result is perfectly even spacing, whether you're at 300 BPM with sixteenths or reading a chart in another tab.

Your last settings – tempo, meter, subdivision, sound, volume and accents – are saved in your browser and waiting for you next time. Nothing is sent to a server.

1. Find your base tempo. The fastest tempo at which you can play the passage three times in a row with no mistakes and no tension in your shoulders. Say it's 100.
2. Start at 70–80% of it. Here, that's 70–80 BPM. It should feel too slow.
3. Switch on the speed trainer. For example: add 4 BPM every 4 bars, up to 108. From 80, that's seven steps and 28 bars – under two minutes of continuous playing.
4. Stop the moment it falls apart. As soon as the sound gets messy or your hand tightens, stop, drop 10 BPM (Shift+↓ twice) and restart from there. Pushing through mistakes only rehearses them.
5. Finish below your peak. Play the last round about 10% under the day's top tempo, relaxed and clean. That's the version your brain keeps.

A sample four-week plan (base tempo 100)

Ten to fifteen minutes a day on one passage is enough. For how to fit this into a complete session, see our 20-minute daily practice routine.

Common mistakes

Chasing the number. A messy 140 is worth less than a clean 110. Three clean repetitions beat a one-off record.

Playing louder than the click. If you can't hear the metronome, either you're dead on it or you're playing too loud. Set the volume so the click is clearly audible over your instrument.

Skipping slow tempos. At 50 BPM there's nowhere to hide. Add eighths or sixteenths so the long gaps between clicks don't tempt you to rush.

Bluetooth headphones. They add a fixed delay: the clicks are still evenly spaced, but they arrive late and pull you behind the beat. Use wired headphones or a speaker.

Using the click only for exercises. Play whole songs to a click too. That's how studio sessions work, and plenty of bands discover this way that their chorus speeds up. More on that in our golden rules for playing in a band.

And before you start a click for guitar practice, make sure you're in tune – our online guitar tuner runs in the same browser with the same attention to accuracy.