Online Metronome

Press start, set a tempo, and play along. The metronome above runs from 20 to 300 beats per minute, accents the first beat of each bar, and keeps time on the browser's audio clock so the click stays steady even while the page is busy. Tap the tempo button in time with a recording to match its speed.

1. Choose a time signature. Four beats to the bar (4/4) suits most songs; use 3/4 for a waltz and 6/8 for anything that swings in two groups of three.
2. Drag the slider or press the minus and plus buttons to set the tempo, or tap the Tap tempo button four or more times in the speed you want.
3. Press Start. The first beat of every bar is higher and louder; the dots above the controls show where you are in the bar.
4. Play. If you fall behind or rush, stop and set the tempo ten beats slower rather than fighting the click.

The space bar starts and stops the metronome while the page has focus, so you can keep your hands on the keys.

Slower than you think. The point of a metronome is not to prove you can play fast; it is to make every repetition correct so that speed arrives on its own. A useful rule is to find the tempo at which you can play a passage three times in a row without a mistake, and practise there. Only then move the slider up by four or five beats per minute.

Some reference points, in beats per minute:

Most beginner pieces sit between 60 and 100. A scale is often practised at 60 BPM with one note per beat, then two notes per beat at the same tempo, which is the same speed as 120 BPM with one note per beat but far easier to keep even.

The click is a mirror. If your playing drifts away from it, that is information: the passage is not yet secure at this speed. Three habits make the mirror useful.

Subdivide. At slow tempos, count the beat in halves or quarters out loud so that the space between clicks has shape. Playing eighth notes against a quarter-note click is easier when you can hear the "and".

Change one thing at a time. Either raise the tempo or add the second hand, not both. If you are learning a piece hands together, keep the tempo where each hand was comfortable alone.

Leave the metronome off sometimes. Music breathes; a click does not. Once a passage is steady, play it without the click and listen for whether you kept the pulse yourself. The Chordzy app grades timing as well as pitch, which is the same idea with feedback: every attempt shows you exactly where you were early or late.

Does the metronome work without an internet connection?

Once the page has loaded, yes. The click is generated by your browser, not streamed.

Why does the sound stop when I switch tabs?

Browsers throttle background tabs to save power. Keep the metronome in a visible window, or on a second screen, while you play.

Can I set an odd time signature?

The buttons cover 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8. Choose the number of beats per bar with the buttons for anything else; the accent always falls on beat one.