Free tools · Metronome
Online metronome
Pick a tempo and a The two numbers at the start of the music: how many beats in a bar, and which note value gets one beat. 4/4 is the most common. and press Start. Tap a beat to accent it or silence it, and switch on a strumming pattern or chord changes to practise in time.
80BPM
Four quarter-note beats to a bar, the meter of most pop, rock and blues. More on rhythm and meter
Questions
Metronome, in short
- What tempo should I practise at?
- Slow enough to play every change cleanly, often 60 to 80 BPM for a new chord change. Raise it a few beats at a time; the tempo trainer can do that for you every few bars.
- What do 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 mean?
- The top number counts the beats in a bar and the bottom one says which note gets the beat. 4/4 has four quarter-note beats, 3/4 has three (a waltz), and 6/8 groups six eighth notes into two beats of three.
- How do I read a strumming pattern?
- Each arrow is a strum: down on the beat, up on the 'and' between beats. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time, and only touch the strings where the pattern shows an arrow.