2/4 Metronome
A free online metronome in 2/4 — play it in your browser or download the click as a WAV or MP3 file.
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Track
1 section · 0:17
How 2/4 works
Two quarter-note beats per measure — the stripped-down duple meter of marches, polkas, and samba. Every other beat is a downbeat, which gives the meter its drive.
Counting and accent groupings
ONE-two throughout. With subdivisions it becomes the oom-pah of a polka or, with sixteenths, the busy two-beat engine of samba.
Music in 2/4
- Polkas and quickstep marches
- Samba — a two-beat meter carried by sixteenth-note subdivision
- Old-time and bluegrass "boom-chick" accompaniment
Practicing 2/4
The fastest route to feeling 2/4 is hearing the subdivisions while you count the groupings out loud. Add a subdivision with the subdivision metronome, or build a practice track that alternates a familiar meter with this one using the multi-section click track tool. One honest limitation: this free tool accents only the downbeat. To accent the actual groupings — like the oom-pah of a two-beat feel — Subdivide for iOS supports custom accent patterns per measure, which makes this meter much clearer to practice.
Other time signatures
4/4 metronome · 3/4 metronome · 5/4 metronome · 6/4 metronome · 6/8 metronome · 3/8 metronome · 7/8 metronome · 9/8 metronome · 12/8 metronome — or see every time signature.
Frequently asked questions
What does 2/4 mean in music?
Two beats per measure with the quarter note carrying the beat. Count ONE-two — the downbeat comes around twice as often as in 4/4, which gives marches and polkas their drive.
What's the difference between 2/4 and 4/4?
At the same tempo the click sounds similar, but 2/4 accents every other beat while 4/4 accents every fourth. Music that leans on a constant strong-weak alternation — marches, polkas, samba — is written in 2/4 so the notation matches the feel.
What music uses 2/4?
Polkas, quickstep marches, samba and much Latin street music, and the boom-chick accompaniment patterns of old-time and bluegrass.