This is the kind of metronome I find most useful. I want to set the number of beats, pick the accents, and go from there.
I tend to break everything into 2, 3, and 4. I still keep the overarching time in my head, but I break it up like that more than anything, and line it up with my foot, which almost always taps on beat 1.
For example, in 4/4 I might type 3+3+2 and get 1 2 3 – 1 2 3 – 1 2, so the accents land on 1, the and of 2, and 4. 6/8 is usually 3+3, or 1 2 3 – 1 2 3.
Always make sure you know where beat 1 is, though.
I started doing this when I was learning a piece in college in 11/8. Walk Dance by Miroslav Tadic. I had a hard time with the rhythm until I realized counting to 11 was not working and I needed something else. Later, I started studying konnakol, the South Indian system of rhythm syllables, and that sealed it. My first exposure to that was a John McLaughlin DVD, and then I went more in depth while studying with Enrique Vargas.
I have found it useful in flamenco, Brazilian music, Eastern European folk music, and Cuban music. This is just a sampling; for me, it works for most things.
How to use it
Tap any beat to cycle it: accent, click, rest. The grouping updates to match.
The Labels menu changes what the pads say. By group is how I mentioned using 2, 3, and 4, restarting at 1 on each accent. Full measure numbers them all the way through in the more traditional way.
Type the sets of accents. Spaces are optional for single-digit groups, so 332 and 3 3 2 both give eight beats accented on 1, 4, and 7. Use spaces for any group larger than nine.
Type 3 3 2 or 332, either works. After you hit Start, Space or Enter toggles it.
Where it came from
I made the first version of this metronome in 2024. It was my first real JavaScript project. This one is a rewrite: no server, no sound files, and the accent levels are marked by fill, size, and shape rather than color, and shared here for whoever would like to use it.