GUITAR PRACTICE · BEGINNER GUIDE
How to practise guitar with a metronome
A metronome gives you a regular pulse to play against. Start by finding that pulse, then add one simple action at a time. You do not need a complicated strumming pattern to begin working on steady timing.
1. Find the pulse before you play.
Set a metronome to 60 BPM: 60 beats per minute, or one beat each second. For this exercise, choose 4/4 and treat each click as one quarter-note beat. Count “1, 2, 3, 4” out loud and repeat. The next “1” begins a new bar.
Listen for a few bars, then tap along without the guitar. An accent on the first beat can help you hear where each bar begins. If 60 BPM is uncomfortable, change the tempo until you can count without chasing the clicks.
2. Build up a short practice exercise.
- Count four bars. Keep saying “1, 2, 3, 4” and tapping with the clicks.
- Strum on beat 1. Hold a comfortable chord such as Em. Play one downstrum at the start of each bar for four bars.
- Strum every beat. Use one gentle downstrum per click for another four bars. Keep the movement small and relaxed.
- Add a chord change. Alternate Em and Am, one bar each. Change for beat 1 while keeping the count going.
If the change makes you lose the beat, return to one strum per bar. Practise the movement separately, then put it back into the exercise. The goal is to hear and maintain the pulse while your hands do something simple.
3. Count the spaces between clicks.
When quarter-note strums feel steady, say “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. Keep the numbers aligned with the clicks; each “and” falls halfway between them. These are eighth-note subdivisions. The metronome tempo stays at 60 BPM.
First count the subdivisions without playing. Next keep your strumming hand moving down on each number and up on each “and”. You can touch the strings on each movement for a simple eighth-note pattern, or keep some movements silent. Keep the pulse steady in either case.
When should you increase the tempo?
Try a small increase, such as 5 BPM, after several clean, relaxed repetitions. If your strums start rushing or the chord change becomes late, return to the previous tempo. Note the setting that felt comfortable so your next session has a useful starting point.
Listen for consistency across the whole bar. A quick first beat followed by hesitant changes can still feel uneven, even if you catch the next click. Practising slowly gives you space to notice where that happens.
Where AuraFret helps.
Open Practice → Metronome, select 4/4 and adjust the tempo to 60 BPM. Turn on Accent first beat if you want a stronger bar marker, then tap Start. The app has tempo controls and Tap Tempo, plus 3/4 and 6/8 options for later exercises. This guide uses 4/4 throughout.
The metronome provides clicks and a visible beat pulse; it does not listen to or score your timing. It needs no microphone access and stops when the app leaves the foreground. Full tool access requires a Google Play subscription.
Next, try the five-minute chord-change routine. Once your pulse is comfortable, AuraFret’s locally generated backing tracks give you another way to practise a progression.