What 200 BPM sounds like
Tempo marking: Prestissimo · one beat every 300 ms
200 BPM is Prestissimo, as fast as standard tempo markings go. Quarter notes arrive every 300 ms, eighth notes every 150 ms and sixteenths every 75 ms. Sixteenths at 200 BPM are 800 notes per minute, which is the realm of blast beats, sweep picking and virtuoso bebop.
Almost nobody counts 200 BPM in four. Fast jazz is felt in two (100 half-notes per minute) and extreme metal is usually felt in half time. The click at 200 is there to keep those big pulses honest while the subdivisions race by.
Music at 200 BPM
- Extreme metal: Blast beats and tremolo-picked riffs often run at 200 BPM and beyond.
- Fast bebop: Up-tempo jazz standards are frequently called at 200+ BPM, felt in two.
- Speedcore and gabber: Hardcore electronic styles that push past 190 BPM.
- Technique speed drills: Scales, arpeggios and rudiments at maximum controlled speed.
Note lengths at 200 BPM
| Value | Duration | Per minute |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 300 ms | 200 |
| Eighth note | 150 ms | 400 |
| Eighth-note triplet | 100 ms | 600 |
| Sixteenth note | 75 ms | 800 |
| Whole bar of 4/4 | 1200 ms | 50 |
How to practise at 200 BPM
- Do not start here. Build a passage from 120 BPM in steps of 10 and only test at 200 once 180 is clean.
- Use the 2 + 2 accent pattern or 2/4 time so you feel two big beats per bar rather than four small ones.
- Drummers: practise single-stroke rolls at 200 BPM in eighth notes (400 strokes per minute) before attempting sixteenths.
- Keep sessions short: set the practice timer to 5 minutes and stop before your technique gets tense.
Suggested metronome settings
- Subdivision: quarter notes (add eighths only when quarters are solid)
- Accent: 2 + 2
- Practice timer: 5 minutes
200 BPM FAQ
What tempo marking is 200 BPM?
Prestissimo, the fastest standard marking, generally used for anything above about 200 BPM.
How fast are sixteenth notes at 200 BPM?
75 milliseconds apart, or 800 notes per minute.
Is 200 BPM realistic to play?
In quarter or eighth notes, yes, for many intermediate players. Clean sixteenths at 200 BPM are an advanced skill on any instrument.