About the Metronome
This online metronome keeps a steady beat for practising an instrument, singing, dancing or exercising. Set the tempo from 20 to 300 beats per minute, tap it in, choose how many beats a bar has and which beats are accented, and add eighths, triplets or sixteenths between the beats.
Every click is scheduled ahead on your device’s audio clock with Web Audio, so the beat stays exact even when the page is busy, and it keeps going when you switch to another tab. The lit beat on screen follows the sound you hear.
There are no sound files and no microphone: the clicks are made in your browser, and nothing is recorded, uploaded or stored.
How to use it
- Set the tempo with − and +, the slider or the tempo field, or press Tap tempo at least twice in time with the music.
- Choose the beats per bar. Press a beat to make it accented, plain or silent.
- Choose a subdivision to hear eighths, triplets or sixteenths between the beats, and pick the sound and the volume.
- Press Start, or Space on the keyboard. Press T to tap the tempo.
- Change anything while it plays: the next beats follow the new setting.
Features
- Exact timing: Clicks are scheduled on the audio clock, not with page timers, so the beat does not drift.
- Tap tempo: Tap along with a song to find its tempo from the last four taps.
- Accents and rests: Make any beat of the bar accented, plain or silent, from 1 to 12 beats per bar.
- Subdivisions: Hear eighths, triplets or sixteenths softly between the beats.
- Keeps going in the background: The beat goes on in another tab, and the screen stays on while it plays where the browser allows.
Examples
Practising scales
Start at 60 BPM with eighths and raise the tempo a little each day.
A waltz
Choose 3 beats per bar with the first accented.
Finding a song’s tempo
Tap along with the chorus to read its BPM, then practise at that tempo.
Limitations and notes
- The tempo names (Largo, Adagio, Andante, Moderato, Allegro, Presto, Prestissimo) are rough ranges; musicians use them a little differently.
- For 6/8, choose 6 beats with the first and fourth accented, or 2 beats with triplets.
- On an iPhone in silent mode, web pages may make no sound. Turn silent mode off if you hear nothing.
- Bluetooth headphones play sound a little late, so the clicks can seem behind the lit beat. Wired headphones or the device’s speaker are exact.
- There is no tempo trainer that speeds up by itself, and you cannot choose a different sound for each beat.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is it?
Very. Each click is scheduled ahead on the audio hardware’s own clock, which is far steadier than page timers, so the beat does not drift over time.
Does it keep playing in another tab?
Yes. In a background tab it schedules the clicks further ahead, so the beat goes on without gaps. Locking a phone may still pause it, depending on the browser.
How does tap tempo work?
Tap the button or press T in time. The tempo is the average of your last four taps; a pause of more than two seconds starts over.
I hear nothing. What can I do?
Check the volume and, on an iPhone, turn off silent mode. Some browsers only allow sound after you press Start yourself.
Does it use my microphone?
No. The metronome only makes sound; it never listens, and nothing is recorded or sent anywhere.