How it works
A jazz metronome on 2 and 4 clicks the backbeat: an accent on the second and fourth beats of a four-beat bar, common in jazz, by Open Music Theory's definition. One and three are silent here, drawn as rings.
Read the full guide
Start
Tap the pad, or press Space. The light opens on the larger ring, beat one, so the first click you hear is two. Tap again to stop.
Change the tempo
Tap the number under the pad and type the tempo of the tune, or step it with minus and plus. Any whole tempo from 1 to 1000 plays, still on two and four alone.
Questions and answers
How do I start using a metronome for 2 and 4?
Start the pad and call the first click two. Count one, two, three, four through a few bars until every click lands on two or four, then play and place one and three yourself. The rings show where they fall.
Why practise jazz with the metronome on 2 and 4?
Jazz accents those beats: Open Music Theory calls the backbeat the reverse of the classical habit of stressing one and three. Wikipedia's Metronome article counts clicks moved off the usual downbeats among the typical exercises of modern metronome technique.
What plays 2 and 4 in a jazz drum beat?
The closed hi-hat, in the standard pattern Open Music Theory prints, while the ride cymbal plays the eighth notes. It adds that such patterns differ a great deal and are usually improvised. On this page the two clicks sound alike.
Does beat one still matter when the click is on 2 and 4?
Yes. Open Music Theory notes that one stays important in jazz, since chords usually change there, even when it is not the loudest. On the pad it is the larger ring, and the light crosses it in silence.
Why can't I hear the metronome?
Half the bar is silent on purpose: only two and four click. If nothing sounds at all, look at the phone's ring switch, its volume and any Bluetooth headphones. The dots and rings keep time with no sound.