Okuzeka
Music vocabulary · Rhythm, Meter and Tempo

Metronome

Meaning in music, with examples

/ˈmetrənoʊm/nounCore term

In music, metronome means: A device or app that clicks at a steady, adjustable speed so that musicians can practise keeping an even tempo.

In Turkish: metronom

How it is used

Teachers tell students to 'practise with a metronome', 'set the metronome to 60' and 'gradually increase the speed'. Older scores show tempos as 'M.M. = 80', meaning metronome marking. Most tuner apps include a metronome.

Example sentences

  1. Start the passage with the metronome at 60 and go up by four each day.

  2. My teacher says I rush the fast runs, so I practise them with a metronome.

Common collocations

  • practise with a metronome
  • set the metronome
  • metronome marking
  • metronome app
  • turn on the metronome
  • tempoThe speed of a piece of music, usually measured in beats per minute (BPM) or shown with Italian words such as allegro (fast) or adagio (slow).
  • BPMShort for beats per minute: the number of beats in one minute, used to measure tempo. A slow ballad might be around 70 BPM and a dance track around 125 BPM.
  • click trackA metronome sound that musicians hear in their headphones or in-ear monitors while recording or performing, so that everyone stays at exactly the same tempo.
  • practiceRegular time spent playing or singing on your own to improve your skills, learn new pieces and keep your technique in shape.
  • beatThe steady pulse that you tap your foot to in a piece of music. Beats are grouped into bars, and their speed is the tempo.

More terms: Rhythm, Meter and Tempo

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: