How much should I raise the metronome tempo each time?

About 4bpm (or 5%) at a time is safe. Use the rule of going up when it's clean three times in a row and dropping back a notch when you miss twice in a row, and you won't overdo it.

Is it okay to practice without a metronome?

Musical expression and phrasing are best practiced without a metronome. For fast passages or places where the tempo wobbles, though, it works well to go through the steps with the metronome and then check without it.

How to practice with a metronome: 4 steps from a slow tempo to your target tempo

OrchMate Team · November 4, 2026 · 4 min read

Key takeaways

Your starting tempo is 'the speed where you can play it three times in a row without mistakes.' It's often 60 to 70% of the target tempo.
Raise the tempo a little at a time (e.g. 4bpm or 5%), and move on to the next step once it's clean three times in a row.
For fast passages, listening to the metronome in subdivisions (eighths, sixteenths) makes the spaces between beats even.
As you near the target, put the click on only beats 2 and 4, or only on the first beat of each bar, and move on to keeping the beat yourself.

Most cases of "I fall apart when it gets to the fast part" are a tempo-planning problem, not a hand problem. If you use the metronome not as a machine to play along with but as a staircase you climb a little at a time, you get much farther in the same time.

Step 1: Find a tempo with no mistakes

Don't start at the target tempo. Go down to a speed where you can play the passage three times in a row without mistakes. That's usually 60 to 70% of the target. If you repeat it with mistakes, you practice the mistakes.

Step 2: Raise it in small steps

Raise it only about 4bpm (or 5%) at a time
If it's clean three times in a row, go up a notch; if you miss twice in a row, drop back a notch
Don't try to reach the target in one day. The next day, start a bit below yesterday's final tempo

Step 3: Listen in subdivisions

When four sixteenth notes fit between quarter-note clicks, the space between beats can wobble. Splitting the metronome into eighths or sixteenths evens out the gaps between notes. Once the tempo goes up, go back to quarter notes.

Step 4: Reduce the clicks

Near the target tempo, put the click only on beats 2 and 4, then only on the first beat of each bar. You practice keeping the clickless beats yourself, which fixes the habit of rushing or dragging in an ensemble.

Common mistakes

Only playing the whole piece from start to finish with the metronome → isolate and practice just the two or three bars that aren't working
Playing stiffly while 'chasing' the click → once a step is done, play it musically once without the metronome
Keeping on raising the tempo while tired → rest every 20 to 30 minutes

Tips If you write a target tempo like '♩=80' into your lesson homework, it's easy to track how many bpm you reached each day.

FAQ

How much should I raise the metronome tempo each time?: About 4bpm (or 5%) at a time is safe. Use the rule of going up when it's clean three times in a row and dropping back a notch when you miss twice in a row, and you won't overdo it.
Is it okay to practice without a metronome?: Musical expression and phrasing are best practiced without a metronome. For fast passages or places where the tempo wobbles, though, it works well to go through the steps with the metronome and then check without it.