50 BPM metronome
Press Play to hear a steady click at 50 BPM, or open a drum groove below and feel it in half time. One beat lasts 1,200 ms, so 50 beats fill one minute. 50 BPM falls within Largo (broad, very slow, roughly 40–60 BPM).
How long is one beat at 50 BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo: 60,000 ÷ 50 = 1,200 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) | 4,800 ms |
| Half note | 2,400 ms |
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 1,200 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 900 ms |
| Eighth note | 600 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 400 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 300 ms |
50 BPM in bars and phrases
A bar of 4/4 at 50 BPM lasts 4.8 seconds. Eight bars take 38.4 seconds, and a 32-bar form takes 153.6 seconds. One minute holds 50 beats, or 12.5 bars of 4/4.
How fast are subdivisions at 50 BPM?
Eighth notes at 50 BPM run at 1.67 notes per second, triplets at 2.5 and sixteenth notes at 3.33. 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 50 BPM?
50 BPM falls within Largo (broad, very slow, roughly 40–60 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, 50 BPM feels like 30 BPM; counted in double time it feels like 100 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 50 BPM
Slow tempos expose timing more than fast ones. With 1,200 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 50 BPM
None of the built-in grooves is written this slowly, but a groove played at 100 BPM puts every second beat on a 50 BPM pulse. Try Basic Rock (100), Funky Drummer (99), Superstition Pocket (101) and Funky Syncopation (96) and count only every second beat. The links below open them at 100 BPM.