72 BPM metronome
Press Play to hear a steady click at 72 BPM, or open one of the drum grooves below at exactly this tempo. One beat lasts 833 ms, so 72 beats fill one minute. 72 BPM sits where Adagio (slow, at ease, roughly 66–76 BPM) and Adagietto (rather slow, roughly 70–80 BPM) meet.
How long is one beat at 72 BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo: 60,000 ÷ 72 = 833 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) | 3,333 ms |
| Half note | 1,667 ms |
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 833 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 625 ms |
| Eighth note | 417 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 278 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 208 ms |
72 BPM in bars and phrases
A bar of 4/4 at 72 BPM lasts 3.33 seconds. Eight bars take 26.7 seconds, and a 32-bar form takes 106.7 seconds. One minute holds 72 beats, or 18 bars of 4/4.
How fast are subdivisions at 72 BPM?
Eighth notes at 72 BPM run at 2.4 notes per second, triplets at 3.6 and sixteenth notes at 4.8. 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 72 BPM?
72 BPM sits where Adagio (slow, at ease, roughly 66–76 BPM) and Adagietto (rather slow, roughly 70–80 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, 72 BPM feels like 36 BPM; counted in double time it feels like 144 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 72 BPM
This is a comfortable range for learning new material. Play the whole passage at 72 BPM without stopping before you raise the tempo, and loop any bar that breaks the pulse rather than slowing everything down. Build speed can then add a few BPM every few bars once the passage is controlled.
Drum grooves near 72 BPM
These built-in grooves have default tempos close to 72 BPM: UK Digital Steppers (72), When the Levee Breaks (72), Memphis Triplet Phonk (72) and 70s Slow Jam (72). Each link below opens the metronome with that groove at exactly 72 BPM, so you practise the tempo with a real drum part rather than a click.