Beats per bar
22 quarter note beats fill every bar of 2/4.Pulse · tempo · time
2/4 Metronome
This page opens a working metronome in 2/4 time at 120 BPM. The first beat of every bar gets a brighter accent click, so you can hear where the bar begins without watching the screen. Change the tempo freely, or switch signature from the same panel to compare.
Beats per minute
BPM
12
Ready at 120 BPM in 2/4.
Tempo facts
What 2/4 time means
A bar of 2/4 holds 2 quarter note beats. Here is how that plays out at the 120 BPM this page opens with.
Beat unit
Quarter noteThe lower number, 4, is what counts one beat in 2/4.Accent
Beat 1The metronome plays a brighter click on the downbeat. The pattern below shows the lighter stresses musicians add.Bar length
1 sAt 120 BPM one bar of 2/4 lasts 1 second.How 2/4 is counted
- 1Strong
- 2Weak
Count 'one two, one two'. Two quarter-note beats fill each bar, the accent lands on beat one and beat two answers it. The bar turns over twice as often as in 4/4, so the pulse feels short and insistent.
How to practise in 2/4
Set 2/4 and march on the spot, left foot on every accented click — this is exactly the drill marching bands use. On an instrument, play a bass note on one and a chord on two for the classic oom-pah.
What music is written in 2/4
2/4 is march time: the military march, the polka, most ragtime, and Latin styles such as samba and cumbia. On paper a 2/4 bar looks like half a 4/4 bar, and the choice between them is mainly about how often the composer wants a strong beat.