How to Use a Metronome for Piano: BPM, Time Signatures and Tempo Practice

What BPM actually means

BPM means beats per minute. At 60 BPM you hear one click per second; at 120 BPM, two clicks per second. Tempo is not the same as difficulty, but faster tempos leave less time to correct movement.

For a new fragment, 50–70 BPM is often a useful starting range.

Clap before you play

If clapping is unstable, adding pitches only increases the load.

1. 1

   Set 60 BPM

2. 2

   Clap eight beats without playing

3. 3

   Count 1, 2, 3, 4

4. 4

   Keep clapping while speaking the rhythm

5. 5

   Add piano notes last

When to raise the tempo

• Two complete correct repetitions
• No obvious shoulder or wrist tension
• No recurring error at the same place
• Increase by 3–5 BPM, not 20

Three ways to use clicks in songs

• One note per click for even motion
• Two notes per click for eighth-note patterns
• One click per measure to test internal pulse