60 BPM metronome
Press Play to hear a steady click at 60 BPM, or open a drum groove below and feel it in half time. One beat lasts 1,000 ms, so 60 beats fill one minute. 60 BPM sits where Largo (broad, very slow, roughly 40–60 BPM) and Larghetto (rather broad, roughly 60–66 BPM) meet.
How long is one beat at 60 BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo: 60,000 ÷ 60 = 1,000 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) | 4,000 ms |
| Half note | 2,000 ms |
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 1,000 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 750 ms |
| Eighth note | 500 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 333 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 250 ms |
60 BPM in bars and phrases
A bar of 4/4 at 60 BPM lasts 4 seconds. Eight bars take 32 seconds, and a 32-bar form takes 128 seconds. One minute holds 60 beats, or 15 bars of 4/4.
How fast are subdivisions at 60 BPM?
Eighth notes at 60 BPM run at 2 notes per second, triplets at 3 and sixteenth notes at 4. 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 60 BPM?
60 BPM sits where Largo (broad, very slow, roughly 40–60 BPM) and Larghetto (rather broad, roughly 60–66 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, 60 BPM feels like 30 BPM; counted in double time it feels like 120 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 60 BPM
Slow tempos expose timing more than fast ones. With 1,000 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 60 BPM
None of the built-in grooves is written this slowly, but a groove played at 120 BPM puts every second beat on a 60 BPM pulse. Try Bossa Nova (120), Billie Jean Pocket (117), Smells Like Teen Spirit (117) and Four-on-the-Floor (124) and count only every second beat. The links below open them at 120 BPM.