120 BPM Metronome

How to use the 120 BPM metronome

Press Start. The click begins at 120 BPM — two beats per second — with the accent on beat one. On a keyboard, the spacebar starts and stops it. (Browsers only allow sound after you interact with the page, so the first click has to be a tap or key press.)
Change the tempo. Drag the slider, tap the − and + buttons for one-BPM nudges, type an exact number, or hit a preset. The tempo marking (120 = Allegro) and the beat interval in milliseconds update instantly — there's no "apply" button.
Set your time signature. Pick 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8 or 7/8. The row of dots shows one per beat and the louder accent falls on beat one, so you can feel the bar.
Add subdivisions. Switch from quarter notes to eighths, triplets or sixteenths to hear the smaller pulses between the beats — the single most useful trick for locking in fast passages.
Don't know the tempo? Tap it. Tap the Tap tempo button (or the T key) in time with a song and the metronome reads the speed back to you. Then copy the setting, save a share link, or download a printable tempo card.

Why this metronome is different

A metronome is only useful if the beat is actually steady and you can hear the downbeat. Plenty of free online metronomes fail one or both. This one is built around the things players actually need:

Timing that doesn't drift. Most simple web metronomes fire clicks with setInterval, which drifts as your browser gets busy. This one uses the Web Audio clock with a look-ahead scheduler, so each click is scheduled to a sample-accurate time — steady even on a laggy tab.
A real accent, and real subdivisions. The downbeat is a distinct higher click, not just "louder," and you can layer eighths, triplets or sixteenths — the practice tools you'd get on a hardware unit, free in the browser.
Adjustable, not just "120." 120 is the starting point because it's the most-searched practice tempo, but you can move to anything from a slow 20 up to a blazing 300 and the tempo name follows along. Pairing this with our guitar scales chart is how you build clean speed.
Tap, share and print. Tap a song's tempo, copy a link that reopens at the exact BPM and meter, or download a branded tempo reference card. Small things a Spotify click-track or a YouTube video can't do.

How it works (tempo and timing)

Tempo is just a rate: beats per minute. Convert it to the time between beats and everything else follows.

Beat interval (ms) = 60,000 / BPM

   At 120 BPM  ->  60,000 / 120 = 500 ms per beat
                   = 2 beats every second

Subdivision interval = 60,000 / (BPM x notes-per-beat)
   Eighths at 120    = 250 ms      Triplets at 120 = 166.67 ms
   Sixteenths at 120 = 125 ms

The harder part is playing those clicks on time. JavaScript timers aren't precise enough to trust beat-to-beat, so this metronome uses the technique from the Web Audio community's "A Tale of Two Clocks": a lightweight timer wakes up every 25 ms and schedules any clicks due in the next tenth of a second directly on the audio hardware's own clock. The audio card, not the browser's event loop, decides exactly when each click sounds — which is why it stays locked to the grid. Each click is a short sine burst with a quick fade so it reads as a clean "tick," and the visual pulse is driven off the same schedule so what you see matches what you hear.

Three ways to practice at 120

120 in 4/4 — the reference groove

Four beats to the bar with the accent on one is the default for a reason: it's the pulse of most pop, rock and funk. Start here, get your part clean and even against the click, then push the tempo up in small steps. It's the tempo we lean on in how to play guitar when you're first learning to keep time.

120 in 6/8 — feeling the compound beat

Switch to 6/8 and the same 120 becomes six quick pulses per bar, usually felt in two groups of three. It's the lilt behind ballads, blues shuffles and a lot of Irish tunes. Watching the dot row makes the two-big-beats feel obvious.

120 with subdivisions — locking in the details

Keep the tempo at 120 but turn on eighths, then triplets. Suddenly you're hearing 240 or 360 evenly-spaced pulses a minute, which is how you catch rushing on the "and" of the beat. This is the drill that tightens up strumming and picking — see guitar chords for beginners for changes worth drilling this way.

Frequently asked questions

What does 120 BPM sound like?

120 BPM is two beats every second — a brisk, marching walking pace. In classical terms it sits right at Allegro ("fast and bright"). It's the default on most metronomes and a comfortable tempo for a huge amount of pop and rock, which is why so many people search for a "120 BPM metronome" specifically.

Is 120 BPM fast or slow?

It's moderately fast — faster than a resting heartbeat, slower than dance/EDM tempos that often live at 128–140. On the standard tempo scale it's the boundary between Moderato (108–120) and Allegro (120–156). Use the slider to hear how it compares: drop to 76 for Andante, push to 176 for Presto.

How do I practice with a metronome without rushing?

Start slower than you think you need — a tempo where you can play a passage perfectly — and only raise the BPM a few clicks once it's clean. Turn on eighth-note subdivisions so you hear the space between beats; most rushing happens on the off-beats. Play with the click, aiming to make it disappear underneath your note, rather than chasing it.

Why does the metronome need me to press start?

Browsers block audio until you interact with the page, to stop sites auto-playing sound. That's why the metronome can't tick on its own the moment the page loads — one tap of Start (or the spacebar) grants it permission, and after that it's instant.

Can I use a different time signature or tempo?

Yes. Although the page is set to 120 BPM in 4/4, you can move the tempo anywhere from 20 to 300 BPM and choose 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8 or 7/8. Your share link remembers the exact settings, so you can bookmark, say, a 90 BPM 6/8 practice tempo and reopen it later.

Guitar Scales Chart — every scale and mode across the fretboard, to drill against the click.
Guitar String Tension Calculator — size a string set for your tuning and scale length.
Browse all free musician's tools by Julian →

When you want a metronome away from the screen

This tool covers practice at your desk. If you want a click in a rehearsal room, on a loud stage, or clipped to a music stand, a dedicated hardware metronome earns its keep — the picks under your tempo above change with the speed you're working at. The short version:

Just need a reliable click? A pocket digital metronome like the Korg MA-2 is cheap, loud enough, and runs for hundreds of hours on a battery.
Drumming or fast, subdivided practice? A Dr. Beat-style unit gives you real subdivision voices and a rhythm coach that a browser tab can't match.
Can't hear a click over the band? A wearable, vibrating metronome puts the beat on your wrist. Handy alongside a good tuner too — see our beginner electric guitar picks and beginner acoustic guitar picks if you're still building your first rig.

Sources & methodology

Beat timing is definitional: beat interval (ms) = 60,000 / BPM, so 120 BPM = 500 ms = 2 beats per second. Subdivision interval = 60,000 / (BPM × notes-per-beat).
Tempo names use the standard classical Italian marking ranges (e.g. Andante 76–108, Moderato 108–120, Allegro 120–156, Presto 176–200). Boundaries vary a little between sources; we use one consistent published set and label 120 BPM as Allegro.
Audio is scheduled on the Web Audio clock with a 25 ms look-ahead / 100 ms scheduling window (the "Tale of Two Clocks" pattern) for drift-free timing. A fixture test checks the interval, subdivision, tempo-marking and tap-tempo math on every build.

Audio timing is as accurate as your device's clock and browser allow — excellent for practice, not a substitute for lab-grade calibration. Reviewed by Julian Reyes, MM (Berklee). About Julian · Last reviewed July 6, 2026.

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  &middot; Reviewed by Julian Reyes, MM (Berklee)
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