30 BPM metronome
Press Play to hear a steady click at 30 BPM, or open a drum groove below and feel it in half time. One beat lasts 2,000 ms, so 30 beats fill one minute. 30 BPM falls within Grave (very slow and solemn, roughly 25–45 BPM).
How long is one beat at 30 BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo: 60,000 ÷ 30 = 2,000 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) | 8,000 ms |
| Half note | 4,000 ms |
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 2,000 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 1,500 ms |
| Eighth note | 1,000 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 667 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 500 ms |
30 BPM in bars and phrases
A bar of 4/4 at 30 BPM lasts 8 seconds. Eight bars take 64 seconds, and a 32-bar form takes 256 seconds. One minute holds 30 beats, or 7.5 bars of 4/4.
How fast are subdivisions at 30 BPM?
Eighth notes at 30 BPM run at 1 notes per second, triplets at 1.5 and sixteenth notes at 2. 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 30 BPM?
30 BPM falls within Grave (very slow and solemn, roughly 25–45 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, 30 BPM feels like 30 BPM; counted in double time it feels like 60 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 30 BPM
Slow tempos expose timing more than fast ones. With 2,000 ms between clicks it is easy to rush into the next beat, so count the subdivisions in your head or switch on eighth notes, hold long notes for their full length, and use Drop the click to check that you keep the pulse through a silent bar.
Drum grooves for 30 BPM
None of the built-in grooves is written this slowly, but a groove played at 60 BPM puts every second beat on a 30 BPM pulse. Try Soul Ballad (12/8 Feel) (60), Brush Ballad (60), Funeral Doom Dirge (56) and Stoner Doom Crawl (64) and count only every second beat. The links below open them at 60 BPM.