Guide
60 BPM Metronome: the complete guide
By Vivek Badoni, music teacher · Updated
This online metronome opens at 60 BPM, one click every second, exactly like the second hand of a clock. Press Start and it begins straight away. You can still change the tempo, time signature, subdivisions and sound, or use tap tempo, whenever you like.
How long is a beat at 60 BPM?
At 60 BPM the maths is easy: a beat lasts one second.
| Note value | Per beat | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter note (crotchet) | 1 | 1.00 s |
| Eighth notes (quavers) | 2 | 0.50 s each |
| Triplets | 3 | 0.33 s each |
| Sixteenth notes (semiquavers) | 4 | 0.25 s each |
| Whole bar of 4/4 | — | 4.00 s |
Why teachers love 60 BPM
60 BPM sits around Larghetto, slow enough that nothing can hide. It's the tempo many teachers use for:
- Learning a new piece. Play every note in time and in the right place before thinking about speed.
- Scales and arpeggios. One note per click, then two (eighths), three (triplets) and four (sixteenths). Same click, four different speeds.
- Chord changes. Change chord every four clicks, then every two, then on every click.
- Long notes for singers and wind players. Hold a note for four or eight counts and keep it steady.
A 10-minute slow practice routine
- 2 minutes: a scale, one note per click.
- 3 minutes: the hardest two bars of your piece, looped, one note per click.
- 3 minutes: the same bars with eighth-note subdivisions on, two notes per click.
- 2 minutes: play the whole section once, slowly and musically.
When everything is clean, try the 80 BPM metronome, or move the tempo up a few beats at a time in the online metronome.
