Polyrhythm Metronome: Practice 3 Against 4

To practice 3 against 4, keep four steady beats while fitting three evenly spaced notes across the same span. A polyrhythm combines contrasting rhythmic divisions at the same time. In Metronome Plus: BPM Counter, choose 4/4 in Presets, then 3:4 under Session > Polyrhythm; the second layer requires Pro.

What does 3:4 mean?

The ratio compares two parts within one shared cycle: one has three equal intervals, and the other has four. Both begin together and meet again at the start of the next cycle. The three-note part therefore moves more slowly than the four-beat part. Neither part speeds up to catch the other. This is why playing three notes on beats 1, 2, and 3, then leaving beat 4 empty, does not produce 3:4: that leaves an uneven gap before the pattern repeats. Keep the spaces equal within each part.

Set up the two layers in Metronome Plus

Pause playback before setting up. Open Presets, choose 4/4 under Time Signature, and select the single quarter-note icon under Subdivision. In Session, leave Practice Mode off so the tempo stays fixed, then choose 3:4 in Polyrhythm. If Pro is inactive, selecting that option opens the subscription screen. Return to the main metronome screen, set a starting tempo such as 60 BPM with the minus and plus controls, and press Play. These are suggested exercise settings. Keeping extra subdivisions off initially makes it clearer which clicks belong to the four-beat pulse and which belong to the three-note layer.

Listen for each part before playing

Let several bars pass without tapping. First follow the four main beats and count them aloud. Next, listen for the brighter clicks between them and try to hear the slower three-note pattern that includes the shared first beat. The app gives the second layer a higher, brighter version of the selected click sound. If the parts are hard to distinguish, pause and try Wood or Digital in Session > Sound. Keep listening until you can follow either part without changing the speed of your spoken count. You do not need to play both parts immediately.

Count 3 against 4 on a 12-slot grid

Divide the cycle into twelve equal slots, as shown in the table. The four-beat part lands on slots 1, 4, 7, and 10; the three-note part lands on 1, 5, and 9. Another way to speak the grid is 1-trip-let, 2-trip-let, 3-trip-let, 4-trip-let. The three-note hits fall on 1, the middle syllable of beat 2, and the last syllable of beat 3. Keep all twelve slots equally spaced, including the empty slots after the final hit. The next cycle starts after slot 12, with both parts together again.

Learn each hand separately

Try this drill on your knees or a tabletop. With the app playing 3:4, tap four beats per bar using your left hand for four bars. Rest, then tap only the three-note part with your right hand for four bars. Include the first hit on the downbeat even though the brighter layer does not sound separately there. If the three-note part is unclear, stop playback and count the twelve slots while tapping only 1, 5, and 9. Repeat until those three taps have equal spaces, then return to the metronome at the same tempo.

Put the two hands together

Assign the four-beat part to your left hand and the three-note part to your right. Across one cycle, the order of attacks is both, left, right, left, right, left, then both at the next cycle. Use the grid to place those attacks; the words in that sequence are not equally spaced. Start with one cycle and stop. Then connect two cycles without shortening the gap before the next shared downbeat. As a practice checkpoint, aim for four consecutive cycles in which each hand stays even. Once that feels settled, swap the hand assignments without changing the tempo.

Understand what the BPM controls

For this 4/4 setup, the displayed BPM sets the four-beat pulse. The app fits the second layer into the resulting bar length rather than asking you to enter another tempo. For example, at 60 BPM, four main beats fill four seconds. Three equal intervals across those four seconds give the second layer a rate of 45 hits per minute. That is a calculation for this example, not a second setting to enter. If you change the main tempo, both parts change speed together while preserving their 3:4 relationship. Finish setting the tempo before beginning each attempt.

Avoid confusing triplets with three against four

Choosing triplet subdivision alone places three clicks within every main beat. Over four beats, that makes twelve clicks, rather than the three-note part you are learning here. Triplets can supply a counting grid, but you must select every fourth slot to trace the slower three. Likewise, three short notes followed by a rest will not give you equal spacing. If your right hand keeps copying the left, separate the parts again: say four aloud while listening, then tap three without adding the other hand. Reduce the task before trying another full cycle.

Move the pattern into a musical phrase

Once the hand exercise is steady, use one repeated note or a muted attack for the three-note part while the metronome supplies the four-beat reference. Keep the pitch or fingering simple so you can focus on placement. Play four bars with the second layer on, pause, select Off in Session > Polyrhythm, and restart. Now supply the three-note part yourself over the remaining four-beat click. Listen for equal spaces and a clean return to beat 1. Bring back 3:4 when you need a reference, then try the same rhythm in a short phrase from your own practice material.