MetronoTuner
Guitar Standard
en

Install it as an app

It opens full screen, like an app, and works offline.

  1. Tap Share in the browser bar.
  2. Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen” .
  3. Tap “Add”. The icon shows up on your home screen.

Polyrhythm metronome

A polyrhythm is two pulses played at the same time, with different numbers of notes in the same span: in 3:2, one voice plays 3 notes while the other plays 2. Here each voice has its own sound and its own row of lights, and you choose which one the BPM counts.

60 BPM

Larghetto

4/4 (2+2) BPM in quarter notes

−5 +5

Space bar: play/stop

Practice Polyrhythm
Ratio
BPM counts
Hear

Say along: “nice cup of tea”

Time signature
Grouping

The start of each group is accented.

Subdivision
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Counts the time the metronome is playing, on any metronome page. It stays on this device only: nothing is sent anywhere.

How the log works

Pick a polyrhythm

3:2 3 against 2 2:3 2 against 3 4:3 4 against 3 3:4 3 against 4 5:4 5 against 4 5:3 5 against 3 5:2 5 against 2 7:4 7 against 4

How to read 3:2

Say “three against two”: 3 notes of one voice in the time of 2 of the other. On these pages the second number is the pulse (what the BPM counts unless you change it) and the first is the voice that fits over it. That is why 3:2 and 2:3 put the notes in the same places but feel different: in the first you feel 2 beats, in the second, 3.

Polyrhythms side by side

Grid: how many equal parts the cycle is split into so both voices fit. Composite rhythm: how many parts each note of the two voices together lasts.
Ratio Grid Notes per cycle Composite rhythm
3:2 6 4 2-1-1-2
2:3 6 4 2-1-1-2
4:3 12 6 3-1-2-2-1-3
3:4 12 6 3-1-2-2-1-3
5:4 20 8 4-1-3-2-2-3-1-4
5:3 15 7 3-2-1-3-1-2-3
5:2 10 6 2-2-1-1-2-2
7:4 28 10 4-3-1-4-2-2-4-1-3-4

Frequently asked questions

What is a polyrhythm?

It is two pulses layered on top of each other, splitting the same span into different numbers of parts, such as 3 against 2. They start together and only meet again at the start of the next cycle.

Is a polyrhythm the same as a tuplet?

They are close relatives: a triplet spread over two beats is exactly 3 against 2. The difference is that in a polyrhythm both divisions sound together all the time.

How should I practise polyrhythms?

Start slowly, count the grid out loud and listen to one voice at a time (the “Hear” option). Then tap one voice with each hand. Once it feels solid, raise the BPM.

Metronome practice tools

Other tempos

Other time signatures