Metronome (Online, Free)

A free online metronome for instrument practice that clicks at a set BPM (tempo) and time signature. Tap tempo is also supported.

Guide to Tempo Markings (Italian Terms)

Term (Italian) Meaning Typical BPM
Largo Broadly, very slowly 40–60
Larghetto Rather broadly, a little faster than Largo 60–66
Adagio Slowly, at ease 66–76
Andante At a walking pace 76–108
Moderato At a moderate pace 108–120
Allegro Fast and lively 120–168
Presto Very fast 168–200
Prestissimo As fast as possible 200–208

Usage Tips

  • You can set the BPM by typing a number directly, or by using the slider or the +/- buttons. If your sheet music shows a marking like "quarter note = 96", just enter that number as-is.
  • Tapping the "Tap to Set Tempo" button repeatedly in time with a song automatically calculates the BPM from the interval between your taps and sets it for you. This is handy when you want to find the tempo of a song that has no sheet music.
  • Setting a time signature (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and so on) highlights the first beat of each measure (the accented beat) with a square frame, making it easier to keep track of where each measure begins.
  • Playback uses the Web Audio API, so due to browser autoplay restrictions the sound may fail to play for an instant right after you press "Play". If that happens, just press the button again.

Frequently Asked Questions

BPM (Beats Per Minute) is a number that expresses a piece's tempo, or speed, as the number of beats that occur in one minute. At BPM 60 you get one beat per second, and at BPM 120 you get two beats per second.

A metronome clicks at a steady tempo so that a musician can develop an accurate sense of rhythm through practice. It's widely used in basic technical practice and in ensemble rehearsals to keep everyone's tempo from drifting apart.

Tap tempo is a feature that automatically calculates BPM from the interval between repeated taps (clicks) of a button made in time with a song. It's useful when a piece has no tempo marking on the sheet music, or when you want to put a number to a tempo you've only heard by ear.

Italian tempo markings such as Allegro and Andante have, since they were first used, indicated a rough range and mood of tempo rather than an exact BPM figure. Because of this, there has always been some room for performers and eras to interpret them differently.
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Side Note — Before the Metronome Was Invented

The pendulum-style metronome we know today became widespread after German inventor Johann Nepomuk Mälzel patented his design in 1815. Before that, composers had no choice but to indicate a rough tempo using Italian markings such as Allegro (fast and lively) or Adagio (slowly), leaving a great deal to the performer's own interpretation for a very long time.

Beethoven took an early interest in Mälzel's metronome as soon as it appeared, and he is known as one of the first composers to write specific BPM tempo markings into his own symphonies. However, the mechanical metronomes of the time had real limits on their precision, and musicians today still debate whether the tempos Beethoven specified were actually playable in practice.

Today, browser-standard technology such as the Web Audio API lets a smartphone or computer produce an accurate click sound without anyone carrying around a dedicated mechanical device. Because software timers are prone to delay and drift, precise scheduling — reserving the exact moment each sound should play in advance — is used to achieve a level of accuracy comparable to a mechanical metronome.