15/16 Metronome

15/16 has fifteen sixteenth notes in every bar. The easiest way to understand it is as a bar of 4/4 with the very last sixteenth note cut off, which makes every bar arrive a little early. It is rare in popular music, but it is a great workout for your sense of time.

What does 15/16 mean?

The top 15 means fifteen notes per bar, and the bottom 16 means they are sixteenth notes. A bar of 4/4 holds sixteen sixteenth notes, so 15/16 is exactly one sixteenth note short of a 4/4 bar.

TypeOdd meter (sixteenth notes), 15 sixteenth notes per bar

How to count 15/16

Say it: "1 e and a, 2 e and a, 3 e and a, 4 e and"

Count sixteenth notes the usual way, "1 e and a", for the first three beats, then drop the last "a" from beat 4 and start the next bar right away. That gives you groups of 4+4+4+3. You can also split it into five groups of three.

Accent patterns to try

Press a pattern to set the metronome to it and start the click.

The tempo in 15/16

In 15/16 the metronome clicks every sixteenth note. The tempo number still counts quarter notes, so you hear four times as many clicks as the number says: at 60 bpm that is 240 clicks a minute.

How 15/16 feels

Because 15/16 is so close to 4/4, it can sound almost normal until you notice that each bar starts a hair too soon. That little hiccup is the whole point, and learning to feel it sharpens your timing in every other meter too.

Songs in 15/16

• Notes by Andrew Lloyd WebberFrom The Phantom of the Opera, grouped 4+4+4+3

Practice 15/16 on guitar

1. Keep the tempo slow, around 50 bpm, and play one palm-muted note on every click while you count out loud.
2. Play a 4/4 sixteenth-note riff, then drop its last note. That is a 15/16 riff.
3. Accent the start of each group with a power chord and play muted notes in between.
4. Raise the tempo slowly with the Speed Trainer once you can count it without stopping.

Learn 15/16 with a teacher

Hear it played, count along and try it yourself with these video lessons from the Infinite Guitar library:

Time Signatures: 15/16 - Overview Sean Conklin Time Signatures: 15/16 - Example 1 (Easy) Sean Conklin Time Signatures: Mixing Them Together Ex. 2 (Advanced) Sean Conklin

Other time signatures

Back to the online metronome

15/16 time FAQ