Online metronome
40 to 240 BPM, with accents and subdivisions. The space bar starts and stops it.
BPM
How to use it
- Set the tempo with the slider, the −/+ buttons, or by tapping «Tap the tempo».
- Choose how many beats per bar: the first one sounds higher, so you always know where you are.
- Subdivisions add eighths or triplets between the beats.
- Space bar to start and stop without taking your hands off the guitar.
Time is kept with your body, not your ears: the metronome is there to show you where you lose it. The point is not playing fast, it is playing even. If a passage holds at 70 and falls apart at 75, speed is not the problem — you were already rushing at 70 and could not tell.
The method that always works: start at a tempo where the passage is boringly easy, play it clean five times in a row, then go up 4 BPM. Miss one and drop 8. Two weeks of that beats two months of trying at full speed.
One exercise exposes everything: put the click only on 2 and 4, like a snare, and play over it. If the click seems to have moved by the fourth bar, you are the one drifting. It is the fastest way to go from «I play in time» to actually playing in time.
The click here is synthesised by the browser rather than played from a file: it starts with no lag and stays locked even after half an hour of repetitions.
Questions people ask
Does it drift if I switch tabs?
No. Clicks are scheduled ahead of time on the audio clock, not on page timers, so they hold even when the browser slows its drawing down. Some browsers do mute audio in the background, though — keep the page in front while you play.
What tempo should I practise at?
The one where the passage comes out clean five times in a row. If it does not, you are already too fast: drop 10 and start again. Speed is a by-product, not a target.
Can I use it with headphones?
Yes, and it is the best way: the click does not bounce around the room or bury the instrument. Turn the instrument up, not the click.
What is tap tempo?
Tap four times along with a track and the metronome takes that speed. Handy when you want to play over a song and do not know its BPM.
The other tools
Online tuner
Tune by ear or with the microphone: it names the note and tells you how many cents you are off.
Find the BPM
Tap along with a track and read its BPM. Delay and reverb times come out already worked out.
Find the note on the neck
Sixty seconds to find as many notes on the neck as you can. Your best score stays on your machine.
What guitarist are you?
Eight questions and you find out what kind of player you are. With a result image to post.
Want the theory behind it?
Ten free guitar courses, one day at a time: scales, chords, rhythm and improvisation.