170 BPM metronome
Press Play to hear a steady click at 170 BPM, or open one of the drum grooves below at exactly this tempo. One beat lasts 353 ms, so 170 beats fill one minute. 170 BPM sits where Vivace (lively, roughly 156–176 BPM) and Presto (very fast, roughly 168–200 BPM) meet.
How long is one beat at 170 BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo: 60,000 ÷ 170 = 353 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) | 1,412 ms |
| Half note | 706 ms |
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 353 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 265 ms |
| Eighth note | 176 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 118 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 88.2 ms |
170 BPM in bars and phrases
A bar of 4/4 at 170 BPM lasts 1.41 seconds. Eight bars take 11.3 seconds, and a 32-bar form takes 45.2 seconds. One minute holds 170 beats, or 42.5 bars of 4/4.
How fast are subdivisions at 170 BPM?
Eighth notes at 170 BPM run at 5.67 notes per second, triplets at 8.5 and sixteenth notes at 11.33. 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 170 BPM?
170 BPM sits where Vivace (lively, roughly 156–176 BPM) and Presto (very fast, roughly 168–200 BPM) meet. 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, 170 BPM feels like 85 BPM; counted in double time it feels like 340 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 170 BPM
At 170 BPM many players count in half time, feeling 85 BPM with the click on every other beat. Try both. If your technique tightens, drop back to a tempo where you stay relaxed and use Build speed to climb in small steps rather than jumping straight to 170.
Drum grooves near 170 BPM
These built-in grooves have default tempos close to 170 BPM: 5/4 Jazz (3+2) (170), Rosanna Shuffle (171) and Drum & Bass Break (174). Each link below opens the metronome with that groove at exactly 170 BPM, so you practise the tempo with a real drum part rather than a click.