2/4 Metronome
Tap a beat to accent or mute it
bpm Andante
Time signature
Subdivision
Sound
Custom time signature
- Space Play / stop
- Up arrowDown arrow Tempo
- T Tap tempo
- 1-4 Sounds
Speed Trainer
2/4 has two beats in every bar, and each beat is a quarter note. It is the time signature of marches and polkas, and it gives you a strong "left, right" pulse that is easy to feel.
What does 2/4 mean?
The top 2 means two beats per bar, and the bottom 4 means each beat is a quarter note. A bar of 2/4 is half a bar of 4/4.
You will also see 2/4 used for a single short bar in the middle of a 4/4 song, when a phrase needs two extra beats before the next section starts.
TypeSimple duple, 2 quarter notes per bar
How to count 2/4
Say it: "One, two"
Beat 1 is strong and beat 2 is weak, so every bar goes "ONE two". Because the accent comes back every two beats, 2/4 feels driving and busy.
Accent patterns to try
Press a pattern to set the metronome to it and start the click.
The tempo in 2/4
Every click is a quarter note, so what you hear matches the number on the screen: 100 bpm is 100 clicks a minute.
How 2/4 feels
In country and bluegrass, guitarists often play 2/4 as "boom-chick": a bass note on beat 1 and a strum on beat 2. Polka players call the same idea "oom-pah".
Songs in 2/4
- Tico-Tico no Fubá by Zequinha de AbreuA choro tune guitarists love
- The Entertainer by Scott JoplinOften arranged for guitar
- Oh! Susanna by Stephen Foster
- Arkansas Traveler by TraditionalFiddle tune
Practice 2/4 on guitar
- Set the tempo to 90 bpm and play a bass note on 1 and a strum on 2: "boom, chick".
- Alternate between two bass notes of the chord on each beat 1, the root and then the fifth, while keeping the strum on 2.
- Turn on eighth notes and add an upstroke after each strum.
Learn 2/4 with a teacher
Hear it played, count along and try it yourself with these video lessons from the Infinite Guitar library:
Other time signatures
2/4 time FAQ
What is the difference between 2/4 and 2/2?
Both have two beats per bar. In 2/4 each beat is a quarter note, in 2/2 (cut time) each beat is a half note. They can sound the same, the difference is in how the music is written.
What is the difference between 2/4 and 4/4?
A bar of 2/4 is half as long as a bar of 4/4. 4/4 has a big accent on 1 and a smaller one on 3, while 2/4 puts the same strong accent on every other beat.