128 BPM metronome
Press Play to hear a steady click at 128 BPM, or open one of the drum grooves below at exactly this tempo. One beat lasts 469 ms, so 128 beats fill one minute. 128 BPM falls within Allegro (fast and bright, roughly 120–156 BPM).
How long is one beat at 128 BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo: 60,000 ÷ 128 = 469 ms per beat. Every other note value follows from that. Producers often set a delay to the dotted eighth or eighth note to keep echoes in time with the track.
| Note value | Length |
|---|---|
| Whole note (4 beats) | 1,875 ms |
| Half note | 938 ms |
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 469 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 352 ms |
| Eighth note | 234 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 156 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 117 ms |
128 BPM in bars and phrases
A bar of 4/4 at 128 BPM lasts 1.88 seconds. Eight bars take 15 seconds, and a 32-bar form takes 60 seconds. One minute holds 128 beats, or 32 bars of 4/4.
How fast are subdivisions at 128 BPM?
Eighth notes at 128 BPM run at 4.27 notes per second, triplets at 6.4 and sixteenth notes at 8.53. Switch on the subdivision you are practising so the click marks every note, then return to quarter notes to check that you keep the spacing on your own.
What tempo marking is 128 BPM?
128 BPM falls within Allegro (fast and bright, roughly 120–156 BPM). Treat these ranges as conventions rather than rules: editions and metronome makers print slightly different numbers, and an Italian marking describes character as well as speed.
Half time and double time
Counted in half time, 128 BPM feels like 64 BPM; counted in double time it feels like 256 BPM. When you tap along with a recording and get either number, both describe the same music; choose the pulse that gives you sensible bars and accents.
Practising at 128 BPM
At 128 BPM the beat moves briskly, and small hesitations become audible. Check that each change lands on the beat rather than just after it, keep accents even, and compare your playing with a drum groove as well as the plain click: the groove shows whether your time also feels right.
Drum grooves near 128 BPM
These built-in grooves have default tempos close to 128 BPM: Purdie Shuffle (126), Fool in the Rain Shuffle (130), Four-on-the-Floor (124) and Bossa Nova (120). Each link below opens the metronome with that groove at exactly 128 BPM, so you practise the tempo with a real drum part rather than a click.