240 BPM metronome
Press Play to hear a steady click at 240 BPM, or open a drum groove below and feel it in half time. One beat lasts 250 ms, so 240 beats fill one minute. 240 BPM falls within Prestissimo (as fast as possible, roughly above 200 BPM).
How long is one beat at 240 BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo: 60,000 ÷ 240 = 250 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) | 1,000 ms |
| Half note | 500 ms |
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 250 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 188 ms |
| Eighth note | 125 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 83.3 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 62.5 ms |
240 BPM in bars and phrases
A bar of 4/4 at 240 BPM lasts 1 seconds. Eight bars take 8 seconds, and a 32-bar form takes 32 seconds. One minute holds 240 beats, or 60 bars of 4/4.
How fast are subdivisions at 240 BPM?
Eighth notes at 240 BPM run at 8 notes per second, triplets at 12 and sixteenth notes at 16. 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 240 BPM?
240 BPM falls within Prestissimo (as fast as possible, roughly above 200 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, 240 BPM feels like 120 BPM; counted in double time it feels like 400 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 240 BPM
At 240 BPM many players count in half time, feeling 120 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 240.
Drum grooves for 240 BPM
Few grooves are written this fast, but a groove at 120 BPM counted in double time puts its eighth notes on a 240 BPM pulse. Try Bossa Nova (120), 80s Slap-Bass Funk (120), Motown Four-on-the-Snare (120) and Soul-Jazz Organ Groove (120) and feel two clicks to every beat. The links below open them at 120 BPM.