120 BPM Metronome
A free 120 BPM online metronome with accents, time signatures and tap tempo.
Timing is scheduled on the Web Audio clock, so the beat stays steady even while the page is busy. Tap the tempo button in time with a song to set the BPM by ear. Keyboard: space starts and stops, up and down arrows change the tempo by 1 (hold shift for 10), escape stops.
120 BPM is one of the most common tempos in popular music and the default starting tempo in most music production software. It marks the start of the Allegro range, the point where a tempo starts to feel lively and fast rather than just moderate.
Why 120 BPM is everywhere
120 BPM divides cleanly into two beats per second, which makes it simple to program, count and sync to. It is the default project tempo in most digital audio workstations, a common tempo for house and pop music, and a frequent target for rock and dance tracks built around a steady four-on-the-floor feel.
For practice, 120 BPM is a solid milestone: comfortably faster than a moderate walking pace, but still well short of the demanding speeds in the upper Allegro and Presto ranges.
Frequently asked questions
What tempo marking is 120 BPM?
120 BPM is Allegro, a lively, fast tempo that marks the boundary where Moderato gives way to a noticeably quicker feel.
Why is 120 BPM the default in music software?
It is an easy, round number, divides cleanly into whole seconds and half-seconds, and sits at a tempo that suits a wide range of genres, which is why most DAWs open a new project at 120 BPM by default.
What genres commonly use 120 BPM?
House music, a large share of pop, and plenty of rock tracks sit at or near 120 BPM, since it is fast enough to feel driving while staying easy to dance and play along to.
Which tempo marking is 120 BPM?
120 BPM falls inside the range commonly given for Moderato, 108 to 120 BPM. Moderato translates as moderate. Those ranges are a convention rather than a measurement: the Italian tempo words were in use long before the metronome existed and were never defined numerically, so published tables disagree at the edges.
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Frequencies on this page are computed at build time from twelve tone equal temperament with A4 = 440 Hz, using the twelfth root of two (about 1.059463) per semitone. Nothing is typed in by hand. See the full method and sources. Maintained by FusionStudios. Last reviewed: .