Pulse, tempo and metronome: the clock of music

Every piece of music with rhythm also has a steady beat underneath it, even when nobody plays it. It is what makes you nod your head or tap your foot without thinking. It is called the pulse, and it is the ruler every symbol on a score is measured with.

What the pulse is

The pulse is a series of equal, evenly spaced beats, like the ticking of a clock or the steps of someone walking at a constant pace. Each beat is called a beat (or count). When we say the quarter note “lasts 1 beat”, we mean it lasts exactly the space between one pulse beat and the next.

Two features make the pulse so important for rhythm reading:

• It does not stop during silences. During a rest the sound disappears, but the pulse goes on. That is why rests must be counted: they take up beats just like notes.
• It does not change speed on its own. Unless the music asks for it, the pulse neither speeds up nor slows down. Keeping it steady is the first skill of a good rhythm reader.

Tempo and bpm

The speed of the pulse is called tempo and is measured in bpm, beats per minute. The math is simple: at 60 bpm there are 60 beats in a minute, one per second. At 120 bpm, two per second.

In Beginner 1, tempos range from 60 to 80 bpm. Here is how long each beat lasts:

The difference between 60 and 80 bpm seems small, but it changes the experience a lot: a whole note that lasts 4 seconds at 60 bpm lasts 3 at 80 bpm. Everything gets a little shorter, and reading has to be quicker.

In traditional scores, tempo often appears as Italian words such as Adagio (slow), Andante (at a walking pace), Moderato and Allegro (fast). These words point to approximate ranges that vary with period and style. The bpm number is more precise, and it is what we use here.

The metronome

A metronome is a device that marks the pulse with a regular click at the chosen tempo. The mechanical model, with a pendulum swinging from side to side, was patented by Johann Maelzel in 1815, and composers soon began writing tempos on their scores in beats per minute. Today metronomes live in apps, in electronic keyboards and, on this site, inside every lesson.

A metronome does two things: it shows what the right tempo is and it gives you away when you drift from it. Nobody notices on their own that they are gradually speeding up; with the click alongside, the difference is obvious.

How to practice with a metronome

1. Listen before you clap. Let the metronome play a whole bar before you start. The lessons on this site do this automatically: there is always a one-bar count-in before the first clap.
2. Hide the click. When your clap lands exactly on the beat, it covers the click and you can barely hear it. If you hear the click and the clap separately, one of them came first.
3. Count out loud. Saying “1, 2, 3, 4” with the click locks the pulse into your body and helps a lot on long notes and rests, when your hands aren't clapping.
4. Start slow. If an exercise is hard, lower the tempo. Getting it right at 50 bpm and then going up is far more effective than failing over and over at 72.
5. Go up gradually. Increase by 4 or 6 bpm at a time. Only go up when the current tempo feels comfortable.

Rushing and dragging

The two most common drifts have different causes:

• Rushing (clapping before the click) usually comes from anxiety, especially after rests and at the end of long notes, when the urge to “do something” arrives too early.
• Dragging (clapping after the click) usually comes from reacting to the sound instead of anticipating it. If you wait to hear the click before clapping, you will always be a little late.

In Your turn mode, the site measures the gap between each clap and the right moment. Claps within 70 milliseconds count as perfect; within 200 milliseconds, as “close”. The result shows your average offset and whether you are rushing or dragging, so you know exactly what to fix.

The inner pulse

The final goal is not to depend on the metronome but to carry the pulse inside you. Experienced musicians hold a tempo for minutes with no outside reference. To develop this:

• Once you have mastered a lesson, turn the metronome off (there is an option in the lesson itself) and see whether you can stay steady.
• Pay attention to long rests and whole notes: these are the moments when only your inner pulse keeps the count going.
• Away from the site, tap the pulse of songs you listen to with your foot or on your leg. Try to guess their tempo.

To start with the basics, lesson 1 is pure pulse: one clap on every beat, at 60 bpm. To see how the pulse is grouped, continue with Time signatures.