PlayPianoThe short answer
Set the metronome slower than the written tempo, count the beats aloud and play a short passage with the clicks. When you can play it cleanly a few times in a row, raise the tempo by a small step. If it falls apart, go back one step.
What a metronome is for
A metronome gives you a steady beat to play against. Each click marks one beat, and the tempo is how many clicks there are in a minute, written as beats per minute (BPM). A tempo of 60 is one click a second. A tempo of 120 is two.
Playing with a click shows you something you cannot always hear while you play: where you rush, where you slow down, and which bars you quietly skip over. It is not a judge. Think of it as a friend who keeps counting while you work.
Most beginners set the metronome too fast. If you are unsure, go slower. You can always raise the speed after a clean pass.
You do not need anything special. You can use the online metronome on this site, the metronome in PlayPiano on your iPhone or iPad, or any metronome you already have.
Practise with the click in six steps
- Pick a short passage. Choose one or two bars. Practising a whole piece with a click is hard. A small piece is easy to repeat.
- Find a slow tempo. Start well below the speed on the page. A good starting point is one where you can play the passage without stopping and without hurrying. If you are not sure, halve the tempo.
- Know what the beat is. In a piece in four beats to a bar, the click is one beat, so you hear four clicks in every bar. Say "1, 2, 3, 4" aloud so you know where each beat falls.
- Play with the click, not after it. Aim to land each note with the click. If you find yourself chasing the click, stop and slow it down. If you are far ahead of it, count aloud again.
- Repeat it cleanly. Play the passage three times in a row with no stops or wrong notes. If one goes wrong, start the count again. Clean repetitions are worth more than speed.
- Raise the tempo a little. Move up by a small step, a few beats per minute. Repeat steps four and five. If it falls apart, go back one step and stay there for the day.
Choosing what the click counts
The click is a steady pulse. What each click stands for depends on the piece. In a piece with four quarter notes to a bar, one click is one quarter note. In a slow piece with lots of quick notes, it can help to let the click count the larger beat and feel the smaller notes between the clicks. Ask your teacher, or check the time signature at the start of the piece, if you are not sure which note gets the beat. The top number says how many beats are in a bar.
Counting aloud
Counting aloud is the simplest way to stay in time. For quarter notes, say 1, 2, 3, 4. For eighth notes, say "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and", so the "and" falls between the clicks. You do not have to count forever. Use it while a rhythm is new, then count in your head, then drop it once the rhythm is natural.
When the click feels hard
- You keep rushing. Slow down further. Rushing often means the passage is above your comfortable tempo.
- You keep dragging. Check that you know the next notes before you reach them. Look ahead in the score.
- You lose the click. Stop, count one bar of the click without playing, then come back in.
- A hard bar slows you down. Work on that bar on its own, then put it back into the passage. The guide to difficult passages shows a routine for this.
- It feels stiff. Use the click for part of your practice, not all of it. Play the same passage freely at the end.
To train your ear for the beat, try Find the beat, a short game where you tap along with a steady pulse. It is a fun way to feel a tempo before you play against it.
A C major scale is a good thing to play with the click. Try it at one note per beat at a slow tempo, then two notes per beat. Raise the tempo a little each time you play it cleanly. It keeps the notes simple so you can focus on the time.
Questions
What tempo should a beginner start with?
Start slower than the tempo on the page, at a speed where you can play the passage without stopping or hurrying. If you are unsure, halve the written tempo and adjust from there.
How much should I raise the metronome each time?
Raise it by a small step, a few beats per minute, after you play the passage cleanly several times in a row. If the passage falls apart, go back to the last tempo that worked.
Do I have to practise with a metronome all the time?
No. Use it for passages where you want to steady the beat, and play freely the rest of the time. Playing with a click and without one both have a place in practice.
Explore PlayPiano’s feedback, practice plans and reports, or read the compatibility and practice FAQs.
Put it into practice.
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