This metronome opens at 120 BPM, ready to start with one click. 120 beats per minute is two beats a second, the standard tempo of countless pop and dance tracks and the default in most recording software. Change the time signature, add subdivisions or pick another sound, and the timing stays steady because every click is scheduled on the browser’s audio clock.
How to use it
- Click Start, or press Space. You hear 120 clicks a minute, with the first beat of each bar accented.
- Choose the time signature, such as 4/4 or 3/4.
- Add Eighth notes, Triplets or Sixteenth notes if you want softer clicks between the beats.
- Pick a sound and set the volume.
- To go faster or slower, use the arrow keys or the slider.
120 BPM in numbers
| Note value | At 120 BPM |
|---|---|
| Quarter note (one beat) | 0.5 s, 2 per second |
| Eighth note | 0.25 s, 4 per second |
| Triplet eighth | 0.167 s, 6 per second |
| Sixteenth note | 0.125 s, 8 per second |
| One bar of 4/4 | 2 s |
| One bar of 3/4 | 1.5 s |
That makes 120 BPM easy to work with: four bars of 4/4 take eight seconds, and a 30-second advert or intro is exactly 15 bars.
Practising at 120 BPM
120 BPM sits right in the middle of the range most musicians play every day, so it is a good benchmark tempo:
- Strumming and picking: play steady eighth notes on guitar or ukulele, two per beat. Then try triplets for a shuffle feel.
- Drums: a basic rock beat at 120 BPM, with the hi-hat on eighth notes, is the starting point of many drum lessons.
- Scales and exercises: at sixteenth notes, 120 BPM means eight notes a second, a fair goal for fast scale practice. Start at 80 BPM and work up.
- Dance and fitness: 120 BPM matches many dance and workout tracks, and it is a comfortable walking cadence.
Other tempos
Use Tap tempo or press T in time with any song to measure its BPM. Slower songs and ballads are often around 60–80 BPM, and fast punk or drum and bass can reach 170 BPM and more. The metronome goes from 20 to 300 BPM.
More music tools
Tune before you play with the Guitar Tuner, and slow down a track that is above 120 BPM to practise along with Change Audio Speed.