Can you keep time when the click disappears?

Hear a steady click, keep the pulse through a silent bar, then listen to where the returning beat lands.

The pulse carries on through the silence.

Try this rhythm

Enable JavaScript to play this example here. You can read the complete lesson below.

Keep tapping when the click goes quiet. When it returns, listen for how closely your pulse lines up with the beat.

Listen for two bars, tap along for two more, then keep going through one silent bar. The tempo stays the same throughout. Start with the one-bar gap and repeat it before trying a longer silence.

Keep the movement steady

Tap once per quarter-note beat, using a small, comfortable movement. Keep that movement going through the silence. Try to keep each tap the same size as you approach the returning click.

The beat indicator disappears during the gap too. Keep the pulse through your movement and listening, without a visual cue.

Read your result

First, check how many silent beats were matched. Each beat needs its own tap. Missing beats and extra taps affect whether there is enough information for a useful timing comparison.

With enough matched taps, you can see your typical tap placement and how closely the taps cluster around it. Device and audio delay can affect the placement. A wider spread means the captured taps varied more around their usual position. Use these numbers to compare attempts on the same setup; they cannot assess your musicianship as a whole.

Make the next attempt useful

Compare attempts on the same device and audio output. Switching from laptop speakers to Bluetooth headphones changes the delay as well as the sound. Leave the manual offset at zero unless you have measured a consistent offset separately.

Once one silent bar feels manageable, try two at the same tempo. Save the exercise with a note about your next step, or copy the link to practise the same settings with a teacher.