BPM (beats per minute)
BPM, or beats per minute, is the unit that measures musical tempo by counting how many beats occur in one minute. A higher BPM means a faster piece. It is the number a metronome uses to keep steady time, letting musicians agree on speed, practice at a fixed pace, and gradually build technique at faster tempos.
BPM stands for beats per minute and is the standard way to express musical tempo. A setting of 60 BPM means one beat every second, while 120 BPM means two beats per second, or twice as fast. Tempo markings that once relied on Italian words like andante or allegro can now be pinned to exact numbers, which is why sheet music often prints a metronome mark such as a quarter note equals 90. Choosing the right BPM matters for practice: working slowly lets you play a passage cleanly before speeding it up, and a fixed tempo exposes rushing or dragging that free playing hides. Many musicians use a progressive approach, raising the BPM in small steps once a passage is comfortable, to build speed without sacrificing accuracy. A metronome converts a BPM value into an audible, even click. FretMind's metronome lets you set BPM directly, tap it in by feel, or let its tempo trainer increase it automatically as you improve.