Unequal groups.
An even pulse.

THE SHAPE OF SEVEN

Seven even pulses. Three unequal groups.

In this room, BPM counts eighth notes (quavers). At 60 eighth-note pulses per minute, each pulse lasts one second. A 2+2+3 bar lasts seven seconds. The group-start clicks are higher and louder; the remaining pulse clicks keep the same spacing.

Those three groups last 2, 2 and 3 seconds. They are not three equal beats. Try saying “ONE two, ONE two, ONE two three” while tapping every pulse. Swapping to 3+2+2 moves the accents to pulse positions 1, 4 and 6, while the bar still contains seven eighth notes.

Which number goes in the tempo box?

Use the note value next to the tempo marking. Quarter note 60 = eighth note 120: there are two eighth notes in one quarter note, so twice as many occur each minute. A marking of eighth note 60 belongs in this room as 60; a quarter-note marking of 60 belongs here as 120. Changing the beat-value selector does not convert the number for you. A dotted quarter contains three eighth notes, but 2+2+3 does not make every group a dotted quarter.

The arithmetic is explicit: pulse duration = 60 ÷ eighth-note BPM; bar duration = sum of groups × pulse duration. For tempo stages, add the duration of each complete stage. Subdivision clicks fit inside a pulse and do not change the bar length.

A three-minute 7/8 routine

1. First minute: keep the default 2+2+3 at eighth note 60. Tap all seven pulses and say the three group starts. Repeat a single scale note or a small original exercise.
2. Second minute: finish and save your first minute, then choose Silent bars with two sounding bars and one silent bar. Count the same seven pulses during silence. A silent bar at this tempo still lasts seven seconds.
3. Third minute: finish and save again. Choose Speed trainer, start at 60, target 70, add 5, two bars per step. The complete 60/65/70 ladder lasts about 38.9 seconds. Repeat only if your playing stays controlled.
4. Save the result: name your passage, save the actual running time and completed pulse tempo, then leave one short note. Continue from that card next time.

For a simpler start, use the three-minute button above and stay with one pattern. The four presets are starting points; choose the grouping that matches your music. This tool does not read a score or judge your timing.

Custom groups and practice records

Enter one to six positive whole-number groups, each from 1 to 8, separated by +. Their sum must be 2–12 eighth-note pulses per bar. For example, 2+3 gives 5/8. Zero, negative numbers, fractions and totals outside the limit are rejected before audio starts. The bar length follows your group total.

Groupings work with silent bars or a tempo ladder. Cards, JSON backups and CSV session exports include the grouping and beat value. Old cards without a grouping keep their original note value and first-beat accent. Backups restore locally after you review and confirm replacement; no upload or account is needed.

Listening and timing limits

Start with the volume low. The optional beat marker is off by default. Keep this tab visible and the device awake: hiding the page or suspending audio pauses the session and logs the reason. Paused time is excluded. Browser scheduling, output buffering, Bluetooth and device sleep can affect what you hear; this is not a promise of professional hardware or lock-screen precision.

The audio scheduler follows the AudioContext clock described in MDN’s Web Audio scheduling guide. The examples and timeline above are original calculations for this tool. Continue with the silent-bar routine, tempo ladder guide or counting method and sources.