How to use the metronome
- Set the tempo: click the big number and type it, drag the slider, use the −10, −1, +1 and +10 buttons, or press Tap tempo in time with a song.
- Choose Beats per bar and, if you want clicks between the beats, a Subdivide option: Eighths, Triplets or Sixteenths.
- Press Start. With Accent the first beat ticked, beat one of each bar has a higher click so you can hear where the bar starts.
Tempo markings
The name under the BPM is the Italian tempo marking for that speed. Composers never agreed on exact numbers, so books and metronomes give slightly different ranges. These are the ones this metronome shows:
| Marking | Meaning | BPM shown |
|---|---|---|
| Grave | Very slow and solemn | Below 40 |
| Largo | Broad, slow | 40 to 59 |
| Larghetto | Fairly slow | 60 to 65 |
| Adagio | Slow, at ease | 66 to 75 |
| Andante | At a walking pace | 76 to 107 |
| Moderato | Moderate | 108 to 119 |
| Allegro | Fast, lively | 120 to 155 |
| Vivace | Lively and quick | 156 to 175 |
| Presto | Very fast | 176 to 199 |
| Prestissimo | As fast as possible | 200 and up |
Practising with a metronome
- Start below your top speed. Pick a tempo where you can play the passage cleanly every time, then raise it a few BPM at a time. The +1 button and the arrow keys make small steps easy.
- Find a song’s tempo first. Tap along to a recording with Tap tempo, then practise to that number, or slower if you need to.
- Use subdivisions when it’s slow. At 50 or 60 BPM it’s easy to rush between clicks. Eighths or sixteenths fill the gaps so you can hear where each note should land.
- Listen for the accent. The higher click on beat one keeps you from losing your place in long bars or odd counts like 5 or 7.
- Bury the click. When your notes land exactly on the beat, the click seems to hide under them. If you keep hearing it stick out, you’re probably a little ahead of it or behind it.