How to set the tempo and use Practice mode

Set the tempo in Metronaut to slow down or speed up playback. Choose Practice to work on notes and rhythm at the speed you select, with accompaniment when the piece provides one.

Choose the mode and change the tempo

1. Open a piece and tap or click Modes in the score toolbar.
2. Select Practice. Depending on your instrument and the piece, the label may instead be Practice with accompaniment, Sing or Sing with accompaniment. These are variants of the same mode.
3. Choose which available tracks you want to hear using the speaker icons below the selected mode. For piano pieces with hand versions, you can also choose the hand you practice here.
4. Open Tempo and move the tempo slider to choose your practice speed.
5. Press Play (▶) to begin.

Some layouts also show a tempo slider directly in the score toolbar. Open Tempo to turn the Metronome on or off. Use Loop to repeat a passage while you work on it.

Does the accompaniment follow my tempo in Practice?

No. It plays at your selected playback speed without adapting to your performance. This makes the mode useful for practicing pitch and rhythm together at a chosen pace.

Musical detail: for pieces with a human-recorded accompaniment, playback follows the timing of that recording. Changing the speed does not turn the musicians’ performance into a rigid metronome or remove all musical tempo changes. Here, “fixed tempo” means the accompaniment does not follow changes in your own playing.

Can I hear my part as a guide?

Yes, when a recording of your part exists. In the selected mode, use the speaker icons to include or mute your part and the accompaniment independently. You may also mute both tracks. A piece without accompaniment cannot provide a backing track.

When both audio tracks exist, Audio Settings also offers a balance slider in its Volumes section. It adjusts the balance between your part and accompaniment for the selected practice or listening mode. It is not shown for pieces with only one audio track.

Can I use AI Feedback with Practice?

Yes. AI Feedback is a separate on/off button in the main score toolbar, enabled by default in Metronaut 9. With supported microphone or MIDI input, it provides visual feedback and scoring/XP. It does not make the accompaniment follow your tempo.

What if I want a different response?

Choose Sight-read to learn notes and chords at your own pace, without track audio. Choose Interpret (AI Tempo) in the iOS, Mac or Android app when you want an available accompaniment to follow your tempo and phrasing. You can change modes whenever it helps; no particular sequence is required.

This practice mode was formerly called Fixed or Fixed Tempo. Mode selection now lives in Modes; the speed and metronome controls remain in Tempo.

Related articles

• Learn notes at your own pace with Sight-read
• Use Interpret (AI Tempo) for accompaniment that follows you
• Use AI Feedback and scoring