Online Metronome
Tap a beat to accent or mute it
bpm Allegro
Time signature
How the beats are grouped. The top number is how many beats are in a bar, the bottom number which note gets the beat: 4/4 is four quarter notes, 6/8 is six eighth notes. Custom builds any other.Subdivision
Adds extra clicks between the beats: two per beat (eighth notes), three (triplets) or four (sixteenth notes), so you can lock in faster rhythms.Sound
The click itself: Hi Hats, Rim Click, Digital or Toms. Pick whichever cuts through your guitar best.Custom time signature
- Space Play / stop
- Up arrowDown arrow Tempo
- T Tap tempo
- 1-4 Sounds
Speed Trainer
Builds speed for you. Turn it on and the tempo starts at Start at, then goes up by Speed up by every few bars until it reaches Stop at.Infinite Guitar's online metronome is a free tool designed to help musicians master their rhythmic skills and improve their overall sense of timing. It runs right in your browser on a computer, tablet or phone, with nothing to download, and works for guitar or any other instrument.
What is a metronome?
A metronome produces a constant rhythmic pulse, providing you with a reliable reference point with which to measure your timing. Metronomes offer a wide range of tempos measured in beats per minute (bpm), and ours goes from 30 all the way up to 300 bpm.
Beyond the basics, our online metronome lets you choose the sounds and time signatures (opens in a new tab) you practice with. Tired of the same boring beep you get from most metronomes? Choose from realistic hi-hats, rim click, digital and tom sounds. Need to practice in something other than 4/4? Pick from 11 common and odd time signatures, or build your own with Custom.
How to use the online metronome
- Set your tempo. Type a number, drag the slider, use the minus and plus buttons, or press Tap tempo in time with a song to find its bpm.
- Pick a time signature. Choose one of the 11 time signatures, or press Custom to set any number of beats over a quarter, eighth or sixteenth note.
- Shape the bar. Tap any beat to turn it into an accent, mute it, or set it back to normal. The small bar above each beat shows which is which.
- Add a subdivision and pick a sound. Fill in eighth notes, triplets or sixteenth notes between the beats, and choose the sound you like best.
- Press play or hit the space bar.
Your settings are saved in your browser, so the metronome is set up the way you left it next time you come back.
Features
- Speed Trainer: raises or lowers the tempo by a set amount every few bars, so you can build speed or ease off without stopping to change it.
- Tap tempo: tap along with any song to find out how fast it is.
- Accents and muted beats: make any beat louder or silent to feel the downbeat, practice on 2 and 4, or test your own sense of time.
- Subdivisions: quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets and sixteenth notes.
- Four sounds: hi-hats, rim click, digital and toms.
- Visuals: moving backgrounds that react to every click, or none at all if you'd rather keep it simple.
- Keyboard shortcuts: Space to play and stop, the up and down arrows to change the tempo (hold Shift to move by 5), T to tap the tempo and 1 to 4 to switch sounds.
Time signatures
Every time signature on the metronome has its own page that shows you how to count it, plays its accent patterns on the metronome, and lists songs and lessons that use it.
Tempo markings
Sheet music often gives the tempo as an Italian word instead of a number. Sources don't agree exactly on the ranges, so here are the ones our metronome uses for the name it shows under the tempo.
| Marking | Tempo | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| Grave | 30-39 bpm | Very slow and solemn |
| Largo | 40-59 bpm | Slow and broad |
| Larghetto | 60-65 bpm | Fairly slow |
| Adagio | 66-75 bpm | Slow and relaxed |
| Andante | 76-107 bpm | A walking pace |
| Moderato | 108-119 bpm | Moderate |
| Allegro | 120-155 bpm | Fast and bright |
| Vivace | 156-175 bpm | Lively and fast |
| Presto | 176-199 bpm | Very fast |
| Prestissimo | 200-300 bpm | As fast as possible |
Metronome practice tips for guitarists
- Start slow. Learn a part at a tempo you can play cleanly, then turn on the Speed Trainer to bring it up a few bpm at a time. Robert Mussatti shows the idea in Building Speed and Accuracy: Bringing it Up and Down (opens in a new tab).
- Divide the beat. Switch on eighth notes, triplets or sixteenths to lock in your picking and strumming. Try Dividing the Beat (opens in a new tab) and the Strumming 101: Developing Rhythm (opens in a new tab) Learning Path.
- Build your internal clock. Mute beats so you only hear the click on 2 and 4, or just once a bar, and keep time on your own in between. Tom Quayle's Time Feel and Your Internal Metronome (opens in a new tab) is a great place to start.
- Practice odd meters. Try 5/4, 7/8 or a custom time signature, and keep the first beat accented so you never lose the one. Rick Graham's Mixing Time Signatures (opens in a new tab) puts them to work.
- Clean up your picking. Alternate picking lives and dies by timing. Work through The "Ups" and "Downs" of Alternate Picking (opens in a new tab) with the metronome on.
Want a full plan? The Rhythm and Time Feel (opens in a new tab) Learning Path puts our best timing lessons in order. Before you start, make sure you're in tune with our online guitar tuner (opens in a new tab). And when you're ready to put your timing to work, check out our free guitar lessons.