Drum metronome
A click track set up for drummers: 80 BPM in 4/4 with sixteenth-note subdivisions, a common starting point for single strokes, doubles and paradiddles. Press Start or the space bar.
Andante
Space start/stop · ↑ ↓ ±1 BPM · Shift ±10 · T tap
Speed trainer
Practice timer
- 80 BPMpreset tempo
- 4/4time signature
- sixteenth notessubdivision
- 5.33clicks per second
Why this preset for drums?
Drummers think in subdivisions: the hi-hat plays eighths or sixteenths, and fills are built from the same grid. Sixteenth sub-clicks at 80 BPM give 5.33 strokes per second, about 2.67 per hand with alternating sticking, which is slow enough to watch stick heights and keep both hands at the same volume. The beat clicks stay louder, so you always know where beat 1 is.
Typical practice tempos for drums
These are common starting points rather than rules; your comfortable tempo depends on the passage and your level. Begin at the bottom of a range and move up only when the playing is clean and relaxed.
| Material | BPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ballads | 60–80 | Often with sixteenth-note hi-hats or a half-time feel |
| Classic boom-bap hip-hop | 85–95 | Try a little swing (55–60%) on sixteenths |
| Funk | 90–115 | Sixteenth subdivisions and ghost notes on the snare |
| Pop and rock | 100–140 | Eighth-note hi-hats, backbeat on 2 and 4 |
| House | 118–130 | Four-on-the-floor kick |
| Drum and bass | 160–180 | Often felt as a half-time groove at 80–90 |
| Punk and hardcore | 160–200+ | Fast eighths; build up with the speed trainer |
Step-up practice plan: 70 → 120 BPM
Exercise: a single-stroke roll or paradiddles in sixteenth notes. Add 5 BPM every 3 days; at this pace you reach 120 BPM on day 31, after 11 sessions. Play each tempo cleanly three times in a row before moving on. If a session is not clean, repeat the same tempo next time: the table is a ceiling, not a deadline.
| Session | Day | BPM | Notes per second (sixteenth notes) | Time per note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 70 | 4.67 | 214 ms |
| 2 | 4 | 75 | 5 | 200 ms |
| 3 | 7 | 80 | 5.33 | 188 ms |
| 4 | 10 | 85 | 5.67 | 176 ms |
| 5 | 13 | 90 | 6 | 167 ms |
| 6 | 16 | 95 | 6.33 | 158 ms |
| 7 | 19 | 100 | 6.67 | 150 ms |
| 8 | 22 | 105 | 7 | 143 ms |
| 9 | 25 | 110 | 7.33 | 136 ms |
| 10 | 28 | 115 | 7.67 | 130 ms |
| 11 | 31 | 120 | 8 | 125 ms |
Within a session, the speed trainer can warm you up to the day's tempo: for example from 60 to 75 BPM, adding 2 BPM every 4 bars, on day 4. For the method behind gradual increases, read how to build speed with a metronome.
Subdivisions for drums
Work through a subdivision ladder without stopping: two bars of eighths, two of triplets, two of sixteenths, then back down. Change the Subdivision setting between rounds, or keep it on sixteenths and switch your hands between the rates. The moment you change rate is where time usually slips.
For grooves, set the subdivision to what the hi-hat plays. Once the groove is solid, turn subdivisions off and move the click to 2 and 4 so it takes the place of the snare. If you can keep the groove locked to a backbeat click, the time is yours rather than the metronome's.
Sixteenth-note rudiments with alternating sticking: strokes per second in total and per hand.
| BPM | Strokes per second | Per hand (alternating) | Bar of 4/4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 4 | 2 | 4.0 s |
| 80 | 5.33 | 2.67 | 3.0 s |
| 100 | 6.67 | 3.33 | 2.4 s |
| 120 | 8 | 4 | 2.0 s |
| 140 | 9.33 | 4.67 | 1.71 s |
Tips for practising drums with a metronome
- Use closed headphones or in-ear monitors: an acoustic kit easily covers a phone speaker. The Woodblock and Beep sounds are usually easier to hear over cymbals than the Hi-hat sound.
- Practise fills with silent bars: set "Click for 3 bars, then silent 1 bar", play the groove for three bars and the fill in the silent bar, and check that you land back on beat 1 with the click.
- Count the band in out loud ("one, two, three, four") for a bar before you start, the way you would at a rehearsal.
- Record yourself with the click and check the fills: most drummers rush into the next bar.
Open the metronome at a fixed tempo: 80 BPM, 90 BPM, 120 BPM, 174 BPM. New to the click? Start with how to use a metronome, then how to practise with one.
Metronomes for other instruments
- Guitar metronomeSet up for guitar practice
- Piano metronomeSet up for piano technique
- Violin metronomeSet up for violin practice
- Running cadence metronomeSteps per minute for runners, 150–190
FAQ
What BPM should drummers practise rudiments at?
Start where the rudiment is even in both hands, often 60–80 BPM in sixteenth notes, and raise it a few BPM at a time. The plan on this page climbs from 70 to 120 BPM in steps of 5, one step every three days, reaching the target on day 31.
Should drummers practise with a click all the time?
No. Use the click to build and check time, then play with silent bars or no click at all and listen back. Being relaxed with a click matters most for recording sessions and for shows that run with backing tracks.
How do I make the metronome loud enough over drums?
Use isolating headphones or in-ear monitors and raise the volume slider, and choose a sound that cuts through, such as Woodblock or Beep. Practise pads and quiet grooves with the click at a lower volume to protect your hearing.
What does half time mean on drums?
In a half-time feel the snare backbeat moves from beats 2 and 4 to beat 3, so the groove feels half as fast while the tempo, and the click, stay the same. Drum and bass at 174 BPM is often played this way and feels like 87.