Metronome Online

240 BPM Metronome — Prestissimo

Online metronome at 240 BPM (Prestissimo). Four beats per second — used for ultra-fast études, extreme metal drumming, and speed benchmark drills.

Tempo marking

Prestissimo

240 BPM is four beats per second — the point where the metronome begins to sound like a low-pitched drone rather than individual clicks. Very few musical contexts require this as a literal pulse; it is most often encountered as a subdivision benchmark (playing 16th notes at 60 BPM = playing quarter notes at 240) or as a physical ceiling for technical development. The term Prestissimo — 'as fast as possible' — is the spirit of this tempo.

Musical contexts at 240 BPM

  • Extreme metal blast-beat drumming, where 240 BPM quarter notes drive the kick/snare pattern at maximum velocity
  • Classical humour and extremes: some Beethoven scherzo passages are marked with joke-fast tempos that approach this range
  • Technical benchmark drilling: if you can cleanly articulate scales as 16th notes at 60 BPM (= 240 BPM subdivisions), you are near the ceiling of most classical technique requirements

Practice tips for 240 BPM

  1. At 240 BPM, use the tempo as a subdivision benchmark rather than a literal performance target: set 60 BPM and practice 16th-note patterns, which gives you the same note-density as 240 BPM quarter notes with a more navigable visual click.
  2. Injury prevention is paramount at extreme tempos: limit high-speed drilling to 5-minute windows, integrate a minimum 10-minute break, and stop at the first sign of pain, numbness, or involuntary tension.

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