Know what the BPM counts
On this page
Read the beat unit beside BPM before choosing a pace. The displayed beat and the drawn groups are not always the same unit.
What to listen for
Compare the named unit, not the BPM number alone. Four quarter-note beats, two dotted-quarter beats and unequal eighth-note groups are different bar structures.
Try the practice
Check the setup
- Meter
- 4/4
- Tempo
- 80 BPM · quarter note beats
- Subdivisions
- Main beats
- Swing
- Straight
- Accent sound
- On
- Mode
- Session
- Count-in
- 1 bar
- Duration
- 16 bars
Opens in a new tab. Review the settings, then press Start when ready.
- Start the 4/4 task at 80 quarter-note BPM. Count one, two, three, four for four bars.
- Stop and use the meter table below to compare 6/8. Its BPM counts dotted-quarter beats; each contains three eighth notes.
- For 7/8, the BPM counts eighth notes while the main clicks mark unequal groups. Say the full grouping before comparing tempos.
Beat units in the metronome
| Meter | BPM beat unit | Groups / beats |
|---|---|---|
| 2/2 | half note | 2 beats |
| 3/2 | half note | 3 beats |
| 4/2 | half note | 4 beats |
| 2/4 | quarter note | 2 beats |
| 3/4 | quarter note | 3 beats |
| 4/4 | quarter note | 4 beats |
| 5/4 | quarter note | 3+2 Available: 3+2, 2+3 |
| 6/4 | quarter note | 3+3 Available: 3+3, 2+2+2 |
| 7/4 | quarter note | 2+2+3 Available: 2+2+3, 2+3+2, 3+2+2 |
| 3/8 | eighth note | 3 beats |
| 5/8 | eighth note | 3+2 Available: 3+2, 2+3 |
| 6/8 | dotted quarter note | 2 beats |
| 7/8 | eighth note | 2+2+3 Available: 2+2+3, 2+3+2, 3+2+2 |
| 8/8 | eighth note | 3+3+2 Available: 3+3+2, 3+2+3, 2+3+3, 2+2+2+2 |
| 9/8 | dotted quarter note | 3 beats |
| 11/8 | eighth note | 3+3+3+2 Available: 3+3+3+2, 2+3+3+3 |
| 12/8 | dotted quarter note | 4 beats |
The BPM unit stays named in this table. In uneven eighth-note meters, the drawn main-beat groups contain different numbers of eighth notes. Grouping changes where those main clicks fall, not the length of an eighth note.
What to check
Explain which note the BPM counts in 4/4, 6/8 and 7/8, and count one bar of each without adding a beat.
When to simplify
Work with 4/4 and 6/8 first. Say the unit name before reading the number.
How to count and practise 6/8
Feel two dotted-quarter beats and the three subdivisions inside each.
Try the next practice