Polyrhythm metronome
Hear two rhythms at once, or three: the beat you count, and one or two pulses spread evenly across it. Pick the numbers and practise 3 against 2, 4 against 3, 5 against 4 and more.
How to set up a polyrhythm
- Choose the beat you count: 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7, or the bar's own beats.
- Choose Pulse 1, a pulse of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7, and if you like Pulse 2, for three rhythms at once such as 3 and 5 against 4.
- Press Listen to hear a short preview, then Load in Metronome to practise it.
- Each pulse sounds higher than the beat, a fifth up and then another fifth, so the lines stay easy to tell apart. Click a pulse on the beat circle to accent or mute it.
Polyrhythms it plays
- 3 against 2 (3:2), the hemiola
- 2 against 3 and 4 against 3
- 3 against 4
- 5 against 4 and 4 against 5
- 7 against 4
- Three rhythms at once, such as 3 and 5 against 4
Choices that would only double or halve the beat, such as 2 against 4, are greyed out, because they are not polyrhythms.
It fits your time signature
When the beat you choose fits the bar, the polyrhythm plays against part of it and the time signature stays: 3 against 2 in 4/4 plays twice in each bar. When it doesn't fit, the metronome changes the time signature for you and offers a way back. Compound meters count in felt beats: 6/8 has two, 12/8 four. The pulses start together again on every downbeat.
Practise it with the rest
Combine a polyrhythm with the tempo trainer to speed it up as you play, or with the rhythm trainer to drop the click out for a few bars. It also opens by link: /app/?poly=3:2 plays 3 against 2.
Questions
- What is a polyrhythm?
- Two or more evenly spaced rhythms played at the same time that don't divide into each other, such as three notes against two in the same span. The first notes line up; the ones in between don't.
- How do I practise 3 against 2?
- Set the beat to 2 and Pulse 1 to 3, press Listen, then Load in Metronome. Tap the beat with one hand and the pulse with the other, slowly at first, and speed up with the tempo trainer.
- Why can't I choose 2 against 4?
- Because it isn't a polyrhythm: every note of the 2 falls on a note of the 4. Choices that only double or halve the beat are greyed out.
- Can I play three rhythms at once?
- Yes. Set Pulse 2 as well, for example 3 and 5 against a beat of 4. Each pulse has its own pitch.
- Can I open it with a link?
- Yes: /app/?poly=3 plays 3 across the bar, /app/?poly=3:2 plays 3 against 2, and poly2 adds a second pulse, as in /app/?poly=3&poly2=5.
- Is it free?
- Yes, with no ads and no account needed, in any browser.
More practice tools
Online tuner · Tap tempo · BPM finder · Tempo trainer · Rhythm trainer · Practice timer · Online metronome · Song tempos