Timing tool · No account needed
Online metronome
Set the tempo
Set a steady click from 30 to 244 beats per minute, tap the tempo you already hear, group 1 to 12 beats into each bar, or remove the click for selected bars while the pulse keeps running.
What can you set on this metronome?
The controls separate pulse speed, bar length and silent-bar practice so you can change one timing variable without changing the others.
| Setting | Available range | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Tempo | 30–244 BPM | How often each beat occurs |
| Beats per bar | 1–12 beats | How clicks are grouped into repeating bars |
| Sounded bars | 1–99 bars | How many bars keep their audible clicks |
| Muted bars | 1–99 bars | How many bars continue without audible clicks |
What does BPM control?
BPM means beats per minute. At 60 BPM one beat arrives each second; at 120 BPM one arrives every half second, provided one click represents one beat.
How does tap tempo work?
Press the tap control or T repeatedly at the pulse you hear. The metronome converts the spacing between your taps into a tempo within its 30–244 BPM range.
What do beats per bar change?
Beats per bar group the steady pulse into a repeating count. A four-beat setting cycles through 1, 2, 3, 4, but it does not by itself choose the written note value or define a complete time signature.
How should you choose a practice tempo?
Choose a tempo at which the hardest passage stays accurate, listen before you begin, and increase the speed only after the pulse remains even.
- Listen to several clicks before playing so the interval is clear.
- Work on one short passage or one bar at a time.
- Use the Left and Right Arrow keys for small tempo changes while your hands stay in position.
- Stop and lower the BPM if notes, rests or difficult movements begin to rush or drag.
Why practise with muted bars?
Muted bars turn a synchronization exercise into a short continuation test: you match the sounded click, keep the same pulse when it disappears, then compare your timing when it returns.
Start with several sounded bars followed by one muted bar. Count or play through the silent bar without changing your motion.
When the returning click feels stable, lengthen the muted part gradually. If it returns ahead of or behind you, shorten the gap or reduce the tempo.
A muted bar is not a pause. The bar and beat cycle continue; only the audible click is withheld.
Which keyboard shortcuts work?
The four verified shortcuts keep the primary timing actions available without moving focus to a small control.
- Space
- Start or stop the metronome
- T
- Tap the current tempo
- Left Arrow
- Lower the tempo
- Right Arrow
- Raise the tempo
Questions about the online metronome
Do I need an account to use the metronome?
No. The metronome works anonymously. Its current settings can live in the page URL, but this public version does not save an account history.
How do I find a tempo by tapping?
Press the tap control or T repeatedly at an even pulse. The displayed BPM updates from the timing of your taps and stays within 30–244 BPM.
What is the difference between a muted bar and Stop?
A muted bar keeps the beat and bar cycle running without audible clicks. Stop ends the running cycle.
Does beats per bar set the complete time signature?
No. It sets the length of the repeating click group. You still decide which written note value each click represents.
Can I control the metronome from the keyboard?
Yes. Space starts or stops, T taps the tempo, and the Left and Right Arrow keys lower or raise the BPM.
Which sources support this guide?
The control limits come from the dated public-feature audit. The explanations below use established music-theory, teaching and timing-research references; the wording and practice sequence are original to ClefPulse.
Published and reviewed by ToolForge.
Content reviewed on .
- Eastman Community Music School: The Metronome—Getting Started
Teaching reference for listening before playing, starting at an accurate pace and practising short sections.
- Open Music Theory: Simple Meter and Time Signatures
Reference for recurring beats, beat grouping and the distinction between beats per measure and the beat unit.
- Timing precision in continuation and synchronization tapping
Research reference for comparing externally paced tapping with continuation after the periodic signal is removed.
Continue from pulse to pitch
Use the steady-beat activity to feel an even pulse, or connect the same timing to the repeating pattern of piano notes.