---
title: Online Metronome – Tap Tempo, Groove Patterns & 11 Click Sounds
description: Free online metronome with tap tempo, swing, 20 groove patterns, 11 click sounds (including cat meow), conductor view, and tempo ramp training. Nine time signatures, no login required.
url: https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/
image: https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/og-image.png
dateModified: 2026-05-16
inLanguage: en
---

# Online Metronome

> Free online metronome at https://metronome.franclambrecht.com

A browser-based metronome for musicians, students, and composers. No login or account required. Works on desktop and mobile. Installable as a PWA — works fully offline once loaded.

## Features

- **Tap Tempo**: Set BPM by tapping a button in rhythm; the average interval across taps becomes the new tempo — useful when you know how a piece feels but not its exact BPM.
- **BPM range**: 20–300, adjustable via slider, scroll wheel, arrow keys, or ±1 nudge buttons.
- **BPM presets**: Quick-access buttons for 60, 90, 120, 160, and 180 BPM.
- **Time signatures**: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 7/4 (simple), and 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 (compound) — nine in total.
- **Subdivisions**: 11 patterns — quarter, eighths, eighth-note triplet, sixteenths, shuffle triplet, dotted eighth + sixteenth, sixteenth + dotted eighth (Scotch snap), eighth + two sixteenths, two sixteenths + eighth, quintuplet, septuplet. Selectable per time signature.
- **Swing**: 0–50% control that shifts subdivisions so note pairs fall unevenly — first note longer, second shorter — for a jazz/blues shuffle feel.
- **11 click sounds**: Studio click, wood block, sine tone, beep, hi-hat, rimshot, clave, marimba, bell, vibraphone, and cat meow (worth trying).
- **Accent on beat 1**: Toggleable; marks the start of each bar with a louder click.
- **Audible subdivisions**: Toggleable, with independent volume control separate from the main beat volume.
- **Count-in**: 1 or 2 bars of silent beats before playback starts.
- **20 groove patterns**:
  - Afro-Cuban: tresillo, habanera, cinquillo, charleston, son clave 3-2, son clave 2-3, rumba clave
  - Brazilian: baião, samba clave
  - West African: kpanlogo, kuku, fanga, afrobeat
  - Middle Eastern: maqsum, baladi
  - Caribbean: one-drop (reggae), ska
  - Funk & Soul: funk, second line
  - Electronic: four-on-the-floor
- **Tempo Ramp mode**: Steps BPM by a fixed amount every N bars from a chosen start BPM; supports an optional two-stage ramp (different step size after a switch BPM) and a stop BPM cap. Ideal for systematic tempo training.
- **Conductor view**: Full-screen large BPM number and tempo marking display, designed for music stands, band rooms, and on-stage use. Tap anywhere or press Space to start/stop.
- **Volume controls**: Independent sliders for beat and subdivision.
- **Keyboard shortcuts**: Space to play/stop; scroll or arrow keys to adjust BPM.
- **Offline PWA**: Installable as a Progressive Web App — works fully offline after first visit.

## What makes this metronome distinctive

- **20 world-music groove patterns** — more than any comparable browser-based metronome, covering Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, West African, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, funk, and jazz styles.
- **Conductor View** — full-screen large BPM display for teaching or performing, not just individual practice.
- **Cat meow mode** — replaces all click sounds with real cat meows and unlocks an animated cat theme; memorable and genuinely distinctive.
- **Tempo Ramp with two-stage progression and stop BPM** — more granular tempo training than most online metronome tools.
- **No install, no account, no ads** — works fully offline as a PWA after first visit.
- **Sample-accurate timing** — uses the Web Audio API for precise beat scheduling, equivalent in precision to a hardware metronome.

## Out of scope

- No audio recording or export
- No MIDI output
- No score or notation display
- No user accounts (settings persist via localStorage only, per device)

## Cat mode

Selecting the cat meow sound activates a full cat-mode theme. Features include:

- Every beat replaced with a real cat meow (accent beats at a higher pitch)
- Animated visuals: emoji rain, nyan cat rainbow, floating beat emojis, paw trail on cursor
- Cat-themed UI labels: BPM → MPM, Tap Tempo → Tap Paw, Volume → Purr Level, Count-in → Pounce In
- Cat tempo markings: Larghissimeow, Largo Catto, Andante Purrissimo, Allegro Cattivo, Purresto, etc.
- Scrolling cat facts ticker at the bottom of the screen
- Comic Sans font throughout

## Common tempo markings

- Larghissimo: < 24 BPM
- Grave: 25–45 BPM
- Largo: 40–60 BPM
- Lento: 45–60 BPM
- Larghetto: 60–66 BPM
- Adagio: 66–76 BPM
- Andante: 76–108 BPM
- Moderato: 108–120 BPM
- Allegretto: 112–120 BPM
- Allegro: 120–156 BPM
- Vivace: 156–176 BPM
- Presto: 168–200 BPM
- Prestissimo: > 200 BPM

## Frequently asked questions

**What is a metronome?**
A metronome is a device or app that produces a steady click, pulse, or beat at a set tempo measured in BPM. Musicians use it to practice keeping consistent time, align with other players, and gradually build speed. This online metronome runs in the browser using the Web Audio API — no mechanical parts, no batteries required.

**How do I use this metronome?**
Set a BPM using the number display, scroll wheel, or arrow keys. Choose a time signature from the menu (4/4 is the default). Press Play or tap Space to start. Beat 1 of each bar plays with an accent. Use Tap Tempo if you do not know the exact BPM: tap the button in rhythm and the metronome calculates the tempo from your taps.

**What is BPM?**
BPM stands for beats per minute — it measures how fast or slow a tempo is. A metronome at 60 BPM plays one beat per second; higher BPM means faster tempo.

**What is tap tempo?**
Tap the button in rhythm and the metronome calculates the average interval between your taps to set the BPM — useful when you know how a piece feels but not its exact tempo.

**Is an online metronome accurate?**
Yes. This metronome uses the Web Audio API for sample-accurate scheduling — each click is timed by the browser's audio engine rather than a JavaScript timer, making it as precise as a hardware metronome for all practical purposes.

**What is swing?**
Swing shifts subdivisions so pairs of notes fall unevenly — the first is held longer, the second shorter — giving a laid-back, shuffled feel common in jazz and blues.

**What does Tempo Ramp do?**
Tempo Ramp steps the BPM by a fixed amount at regular bar intervals — e.g. +5 BPM every 8 bars. Start slow and let the metronome accelerate automatically. Add a second stage with a different change rate once a switch BPM is reached, or set a Stop BPM to cap the progression.

**What time signatures does this metronome support?**
Nine: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, and 7/4 (simple), plus 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, and 12/8 (compound). Beat 1 plays accented, and 11 subdivision patterns are available: quarter, eighths, eighth-note triplet, sixteenths, shuffle triplet, dotted eighth + sixteenth, sixteenth + dotted eighth (Scotch snap), eighth + two sixteenths, two sixteenths + eighth, quintuplet, and septuplet.

**What are groove patterns and how do I use them?**
Groove patterns are pre-programmed rhythmic templates from world music traditions. Select a pattern from the Groove menu and the metronome plays that rhythmic figure against your chosen time signature and BPM — useful for learning a style's underlying rhythm or accompanying practice.

**What is a Scotch snap?**
A Scotch snap is a rhythm where a short note (a sixteenth) is followed by a longer note (a dotted eighth), creating a sharp short-long attack that lands directly on the beat. It is the defining rhythm of Scottish strathspey dance music — hence the name — and turns up in Cajun fiddle, Bartók, and contemporary hip-hop and trap drum programming. Select subdivision 7 (sixteenth + dotted eighth) to practice it.

**What is a shuffle triplet and how do I practice it?**
A shuffle triplet replaces a pair of straight eighth notes with the first and third notes of an eighth-note triplet — the middle triplet note is silent. The result is the classic long-short swing feel heard in blues, jazz shuffles, and early rock and roll. Unlike swing (which shifts subdivisions by percentage), a shuffle locks the rhythm into a strict 2:1 ratio. Select subdivision 5 (shuffle triplet); start at 60–80 BPM and raise the tempo once the off-beat placement feels automatic.

**What is the dotted eighth + sixteenth rhythm?**
Dotted eighth + sixteenth is a long-short pattern where the first note lasts three-quarters of the beat and the second note lasts the remaining quarter. It defines military marches, French overtures, and Baroque keyboard music. Select subdivision 6 to practice it. The Scotch snap (subdivision 7) is the same two notes reversed — short-long instead of long-short.

**What are quintuplets and septuplets?**
A quintuplet divides one beat into five equal notes; a septuplet divides it into seven. Both belong to a family called tuplets and appear regularly in contemporary classical music, modern jazz solos, and progressive rock and metal. They are notoriously difficult to feel naturally because they do not subdivide cleanly into smaller groups. Select subdivision 10 (quintuplet) or 11 (septuplet) and start at 40–60 BPM.

**How do I practice odd subdivisions like 5 or 7 per beat?**
Start at 40–60 BPM — slow enough to clearly hear every subdivision click. Select subdivision 10 (quintuplet) or 11 (septuplet) and listen for several bars without playing anything; let your body absorb the placement of the off-beats first. Then clap quietly along with every click, then play scales or licks locked to each subdivision. Many players vocalize syllables like ta-ka-di-mi-ti for quintuplets and ta-ki-ta-ki-ta-ki-ta for septuplets. Raise the BPM by 4–5 only after the slower tempo feels automatic.

**What is the difference between 3/4 and 6/8 time?**
Both have six eighth-note subdivisions per bar but they group differently. In 3/4 (simple triple), beats group in threes with a strong emphasis on beat 1. In 6/8 (compound duple), beats group in twos of three, giving a rolling, lilting feel common in jigs and ballads.

**What is conductor view?**
Conductor view fills the screen with a large BPM number and tempo marking, hiding all other controls. Tap anywhere or press Space to start and stop. Designed for music stands, band rooms, and on-stage use.

**Can I use this metronome offline?**
Yes. After your first visit, all files are cached locally as a PWA. Add it to your home screen or desktop and use it without an internet connection.

**What keyboard shortcuts does this metronome have?**
Space starts and stops the metronome. The up and down arrow keys adjust BPM by 1. Scroll over the BPM display to adjust tempo. In Conductor View, tap anywhere or press Space to start/stop.

**What click sounds are available, and is there a cat meow metronome?**
Yes — select Cat meow from the Sound menu in Settings to replace every beat with a real meow. It also unlocks a full cat-mode theme: animated visuals, cat-themed labels, and a scrolling cat facts ticker.

**What is a good BPM to practice at?**
Start 20–30% below your target performance tempo — slow enough that every note is accurate and relaxed. Set the metronome where you make zero mistakes, practise until it feels easy, then raise BPM by 5 and repeat. The Tempo Ramp mode can automate this progression.

**Can the metronome automatically increase or decrease tempo?**
Yes. Tempo Ramp mode steps the BPM by a fixed amount every N bars automatically. Set a positive step value to accelerate (e.g. +5 BPM every 8 bars) or a negative value to decelerate (e.g. −5 BPM every 8 bars). Enable it from the Ramp button below the BPM display.

**What is Stage 2 in Tempo Ramp and how does it work?**
Stage 2 applies a different step size once a switch BPM is reached, giving a two-phase progression in a single session. For example: increase by 10 BPM every 4 bars up to 100 BPM, then automatically switch to +2 BPM every 16 bars for a slow final approach to performance tempo. An optional Stop BPM cap halts the ramp automatically when you reach your target.

**What is a good metronome for teaching or band rehearsal?**
Conductor View fills the entire screen with a large BPM number and Italian tempo marking, designed to be read from across a band room or from a music stand. Tap anywhere on the screen or press Space to start and stop. The tempo marking (Allegro, Andante, Moderato, etc.) displays alongside the number so students see both the numeric tempo and the traditional musical term at once.

**Does this metronome support 7/8, 5/4, and other odd time signatures?**
Yes — nine time signatures in total: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, and 7/4 (simple meters), plus 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, and 12/8 (compound meters). Beat 1 of every bar plays with an accent, which is particularly useful in 5/4 and 7/4 where the longer bar can feel disorienting. 7/8 and 9/8 are common in Balkan, Turkish, and progressive rock music; 12/8 is the standard compound feel for blues and gospel.

**What Afro-Cuban rhythm patterns does this metronome include?**
Seven: tresillo (the foundational three-stroke pattern of son and salsa), habanera (four strokes with characteristic syncopation), cinquillo (five-stroke mambo and danzón variant), charleston, son clave 3-2, son clave 2-3, and rumba clave. Son clave is the organising rhythm of salsa — the 3-2 version starts with the strong side, the 2-3 version reverses it. All patterns work at any BPM and time signature.

**What other world music groove patterns are available?**
Brazilian: baião (the dotted driving rhythm of northeastern forró) and samba clave. West African: kpanlogo (Ga recreational dance from Ghana), kuku (Mande ceremonial rhythm from Guinea), fanga (Mande welcome dance), and afrobeat (Fela Kuti's two-bar bell pattern). Middle Eastern: maqsum (the most common rhythm in Egyptian pop and belly dance) and baladi (heavier downbeat variant). Caribbean: one-drop reggae (accent on beat 3 only) and ska (off-beat accents). Funk and electronic: funk, second line (New Orleans parade music), and four-on-the-floor.

## Agent use: configure the metronome via URL parameters

All metronome settings can be set by constructing a URL. The app reads query parameters on load — no interaction required. An agent can link a user directly to a pre-configured state.

**Important:** Audio playback requires a direct user gesture (Space or Play button) due to Web Audio API autoplay policy. An agent can pre-configure everything via URL, but the user must press play to start audio. Pass `autoplay=1` to attempt immediate playback (may still be blocked by browser policy without a prior gesture).

A machine-readable action registry is available at `/mcp-actions.json`.

### Core parameters

| Parameter | Type | Range / options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `bpm` | integer | 20–300 | 120 | Tempo in beats per minute |
| `meter` | string | 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 7/4, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 | 4/4 | Time signature |
| `sub` | integer | 1–11 | 1 | Subdivision pattern: 1=quarter, 2=eighths, 3=eighth-note triplet, 4=sixteenths, 5=shuffle triplet, 6=dotted eighth + sixteenth, 7=sixteenth + dotted eighth (Scotch snap), 8=eighth + two sixteenths, 9=two sixteenths + eighth, 10=quintuplet, 11=septuplet |
| `sound` | string | studio, wood, sine, beep, hihat, rimshot, clave, marimba, bell, vibes, cat | studio | Click sound ('cat' activates cat-mode theme) |
| `swing` | integer | 0–50 | 0 | Swing percentage (0 = straight, 50 = maximum shuffle) |
| `groove` | string | see groove IDs below | (none) | Groove pattern ID |
| `view` | string | simple, full, conductor | full | UI view ('conductor' = full-screen large BPM display) |
| `vol` | integer | 0–100 | 80 | Beat volume percentage |
| `subvol` | integer | 0–100 | 70 | Subdivision volume percentage |
| `accent` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | true | Accent beat 1 with a louder click |
| `audiblesubs` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | true | Play audible subdivision clicks |
| `countin` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | false | Enable count-in bars before playback |
| `countinbars` | integer | 1, 2 | 1 | Number of count-in bars |
| `autoplay` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | false | Attempt to start playback on load |
| `settings` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | false | Open Settings panel on load |

### Tempo Ramp parameters

| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `trainmode` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | false | Enable Tempo Ramp mode |
| `trainstart` | integer | 20–300 | 60 | Ramp start BPM |
| `trainstep` | integer | -280–280 | 5 | BPM change per interval (positive = faster, negative = slower) |
| `trainevery` | integer | 1–999 | 8 | Bars between BPM steps |
| `trainstopena` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | false | Enable ramp stop BPM cap |
| `trainstop` | integer | 20–300 | 160 | BPM at which ramp stops (requires trainstopena=1) |
| `trainmidena` | boolean | true/false or 1/0 | false | Enable two-stage ramp |
| `trainmidtarget` | integer | 20–300 | 120 | BPM at which Stage 2 begins (requires trainmidena=1) |
| `trainstep2` | integer | -280–280 | 2 | BPM change per interval in Stage 2 |
| `trainevery2` | integer | 1–999 | 16 | Bars between BPM steps in Stage 2 |

### Groove pattern IDs

- **Afro-Cuban:** tresillo, habanera, cinquillo, charleston, clave32, clave23, rumba32
- **Brazilian:** baiao, samba
- **West African:** kpanlogo, kuku, fanga, afrobeat
- **Middle Eastern:** maqsum, baladi
- **Caribbean:** reggae, ska
- **Funk & Soul:** funk, secondline
- **Electronic:** fourfloor

### Example URLs

- 120 BPM in 4/4: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=120&meter=4/4`
- Waltz, 80 BPM, wood block: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=80&meter=3/4&sound=wood`
- Jazz shuffle, 100 BPM, son clave 3-2, 30% swing: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=100&groove=clave32&swing=30`
- Compound feel, 90 BPM, 6/8, triplet subs, marimba: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=90&meter=6/8&sub=3&sound=marimba&swing=25`
- Blues shuffle practice, 80 BPM, shuffle triplet sub: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=80&meter=4/4&sub=5`
- Dotted-eighth + sixteenth (long-short march feel), 100 BPM: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=100&meter=4/4&sub=6`
- Odd-meter quintuplet practice, 60 BPM: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=60&meter=4/4&sub=10`
- Tempo ramp from 60 to 120 BPM, +5 BPM every 8 bars: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?trainmode=1&trainstart=60&trainstep=5&trainevery=8&trainstop=120&trainstopena=1`
- Conductor view at 120 BPM: `https://metronome.franclambrecht.com/?bpm=120&view=conductor`