Online Metronome for Guitar Practice: How to Train Rhythm with a Metronome

Why a guitarist needs a metronome

Without a metronome it is easy to speed up on easy parts and slow down on hard ones while the feeling stays steady. A metronome makes these slips audible and teaches your hands to hold the tempo when it gets difficult. Try it right here: switch the metronome on, set 70 beats per minute and play any open string on every click.

Metronome for beginners: first settings

Start with 4/4, quarter notes and a tempo of 60 to 70 BPM. At that tempo you have time to think about finger placement. The accent on the first beat helps you keep track of the start of the bar: count out loud, one, two, three, four.

Play one note or one chord on each click until that feels completely easy. Only then make it harder. More in the article how to practice with a metronome.

The metronome as a guitar rhythm trainer

To make the metronome work as a rhythm trainer, change the subdivision of the beat, not the tempo:

• Quarters: one note per click, the basis of every exercise.
• Eighths: two notes per click, an even down-up strum.
• Triplets: three notes per click, needed for blues and ballads in 6/8.
• Sixteenths: four notes per click, for fast riffs and picking patterns.

How to raise the tempo

Play the phrase three times in a row without mistakes and only then add 5 BPM. If mistakes appear at the new tempo, go back to the previous one. This way progress accumulates instead of collapsing. For fast passages see how to practice fast riffs with a metronome.

Tap tempo: find the tempo of a song

Play a song and press the Tap tempo button in time. The metronome averages the last taps and sets the tempo. You need it to play along with a recording or to choose a speed for learning a part. Meters other than four quarters are covered in time signatures in practice.

Common mistakes

The main mistake is playing along with the click instead of listening to it. The click should line up with your attack, not trail behind it. The second is a tempo that is too fast. If you keep slipping, drop the tempo by 10 to 15 BPM and play slower than seems necessary.