What is a gap click metronome?
A gap click metronome plays a few bars with the click, then goes silent for a few bars while the tempo keeps running in the background. During the silent bars, you are the metronome. When the click comes back, you hear straight away whether you rushed or dragged.
The exercise goes by several names: gap click, muted bars, silent bars or blackout bars. It is a simple, honest way to build a steady inner clock, and it works for any instrument: drums, guitar, piano, bass, voice or winds.
This metronome is built around that one exercise. Switch on Muted bars, pick one of six ready-made patterns and press Start. It is a free online gap click metronome with no account and no download.
New to the exercise? Read what a gap click metronome is, or jump straight to the step-by-step practice guide.
Muted bars patterns
Each pattern reads as bars with click : silent bars. The cycle then repeats for as long as you play.
- 1:1 — one bar with click, one bar silent. The best place to start.
- 2:1 — two bars with click, one silent.
- 2:2 — two bars with click, two silent.
- 4:1 — four bars with click, one silent.
- 4:2 — four bars with click, two silent.
- 4:4 — four bars with click, four silent. The hardest one: you keep time on your own for as long as you had help.
How to use the gap click metronome
- Pick your time signature: 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8 or 12/8 (see 4/4, 3/4 and the other time signatures). The first beat of every bar sounds higher so you can hear where the bar starts.
- Set the tempo between 40 and 240 BPM with the slider.
- Turn on Muted bars and choose a pattern, or switch to Random mode.
- If you want to rely on your ears only, switch off Show beats. Otherwise the circles keep flashing during the silent bars.
- Press Start and play along. The line under the controls shows whether the current bar has a click or is silent.
A simple way to start
Choose a tempo you can play comfortably, somewhere around 60–80 BPM, and begin with 1:1. When you can come back in with the click without noticing a gap, move to 2:1, then 2:2, then 4:2 and finally 4:4. If you keep drifting, go back one step or slow the tempo down: the goal is to land with the click, not to survive the silence. The practice guide covers each stage in detail.
Frequently asked questions
What is a gap click metronome?
It is a metronome that stops clicking for one or more bars while the tempo keeps running, so you have to hold the pulse yourself until the click returns. It is also called a muted bars or silent bars metronome.
How many silent bars should I use when starting?
Start with the 1:1 pattern: one bar with click, one bar silent. Once that feels easy, add more silent bars step by step: 2:1, 2:2, 4:2 and finally 4:4.
Is it useful for drummers, guitarists and pianists?
Yes. Any instrument that has to stay in time can use it. Drummers use it to check their internal tempo, guitarists and bassists to lock in rhythm parts, and pianists to keep a steady left hand. Singers and wind players can use it too.
What is the difference between gap click, muted bars and silent bars?
Nothing important: they are different names for the same exercise, where the click drops out for some bars and then returns.
What is the random muted bars mode?
Instead of a fixed pattern, each bar is silent at random with the chance you set (10–90%). The first bar always has a click and there are never more than four silent bars in a row. Because you cannot predict when the silence comes, you have to keep the pulse all the time.
What is the speed trainer?
It raises the tempo automatically while you play: you choose how many BPM to add (1–20), every how many bars (1–32) and the maximum tempo. It is a gentle way to push your speed step by step. When you stop, the tempo returns to the value you started at.
Can I save or share my settings?
Yes. The metronome remembers your last settings on your device, and “Copy a link with these settings” gives you a link that reproduces your tempo, time signature and pattern, for example ?bpm=100&ts=4/4&pattern=2:2. Send it to a student, a bandmate or yourself.
Can I change the click sound?
Yes. Choose between four sounds: a classic beep, a wood block, a digital click and a soft tone. You hear a sample when you pick one, and the first beat of each bar always sounds higher whichever you choose.
Does it work offline? Can I install it?
Yes. After your first visit the metronome, with all its patterns, time signatures and sounds, keeps working without a connection. On phones and computers that support it you can also install Musical Shed from your browser's menu (“Install” or “Add to Home Screen”) and open it like an app.
Should I hide the beat circles?
If you want to train your ears and your sense of time, yes. Turn off “Show beats” so you cannot follow the tempo visually during the silent bars.
Is this online gap click metronome really free?
Yes. Every feature, including muted bars, is free and there is no account to create.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in your browser on desktop, tablet and phone. Press Start once so the browser allows the sound.
Which time signatures and tempos does it support?
4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8 and 12/8, from 40 BPM (largo) up to 240 BPM (prestissimo). In 6/8 and 12/8 the tempo counts dotted quarter notes, in 7/8 it counts eighth notes and in the other meters quarter notes; the line under the tempo slider always tells you which. More about these time signatures.
Is the tempo accurate?
The clicks are scheduled on the browser's audio clock rather than with a simple timer, which keeps the tempo steady even when the page is busy. Very old or heavily loaded devices can still add a little audio latency.