Guide
90 BPM Metronome: the complete guide
By Vivek Badoni, music teacher · Updated
This online metronome opens at 90 BPM, a laid-back, head-nodding groove. Press Start to begin; you can still change the tempo, time signature, subdivisions and sound, or use tap tempo.
Note lengths at 90 BPM
| Note value | Per beat | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter note | 1 | 0.67 s |
| Eighth notes | 2 | 0.33 s each |
| Triplets | 3 | 0.22 s each |
| Sixteenth notes | 4 | 0.17 s each |
| Whole bar of 4/4 | — | 2.67 s |
The 90 BPM groove
Classic hip-hop, R&B and many mid-tempo pop and film songs live around 85–95 BPM. At this tempo the space between beats is wide enough that the sixteenth notes carry the feel, so practising with subdivisions on is the key to sounding tight.
Practise your groove
- Turn on 16ths and listen to the four clicks inside each beat.
- Play or tap along on only the 2nd and 4th beats of each bar: the backbeat, where the snare drum sits in most pop and hip-hop.
- Now play a simple riff or strumming pattern and try to lock every note to a click.
- Turn subdivisions off and see if you can keep the same tight feel on your own.
Moving up from 90
90 BPM is a common intermediate target for scales in eighth notes and for fingerpicking patterns. Once you're comfortable, step up to the 100 BPM metronome, or try the easy fingerpicking pattern at this tempo.
