200 BPM in numbers
200 BPM is the border between Presto and Prestissimo, and one of the last marks on a mechanical metronome: only 208 comes after it. At 200 beats per minute, one beat lasts 300 ms (0.3 s).
| Note or bar | Length at 200 BPM |
|---|---|
| One beat (quarter note) | 300 ms |
| Eighth note | 150 ms |
| Eighth-note triplet | 100 ms |
| Sixteenth note | 75 ms |
| Bar of 3/4 | 0.9 s |
| Bar of 4/4 | 1.2 s |
| Bars of 4/4 per minute | 50 |
Tempo marking: Presto
200 BPM falls in the Presto range, “very fast”, which this metronome places at 168 to 200 BPM. Reference charts do not all agree, so treat tempo words as a feel rather than a fixed number. 200 is one of the numbers printed on a mechanical (Maelzel) metronome.
What 200 BPM is used for
Each beat lasts 300 ms. Quickstep, the fastest of the standard ballroom dances, runs at 50 to 52 bars of 4/4 per minute, 200 to 208 BPM. For practice, many players set 100 and feel each click as two beats before they switch to the real 200.
Walking, running and CPR at 200
CPR: chest compressions need 100 to 120 per minute (American Heart Association), so 200 BPM is too fast for that. Use the 110 BPM metronome to practice.
Running: as a cadence, 200 steps per minute is close to the 180 often quoted for elite runners. If you want to change yours, small steps work best: a 5 to 10% rise in step rate already reduced knee loading in a 2011 study.
Practice ideas at 200 BPM
At fast tempos, try half time first: set 100 BPM and feel each click as two beats. Keep Accent on so you never lose the first beat of the bar. Press the space bar to start or stop, and use the − and + buttons to move one BPM at a time. Other tempos: 180 BPM, or the full online metronome. To time a practice session, pair it with a timer.