The visual metronome provides an effective visual tempo signal that is easily discerned by a user without being dominating or harmful. Preferably a user will position the metronome to one side of the center of his expected line of site. The metronome visible within a user's peripheral vision uses an inversing dominant pattern producing two visual states. Each visual state is maintained for one beat of the beat per minute rate set by a user. Each visual state includes a light region and a dark region of similar size and a preferred dominant pattern includes a four region checkerboard pattern.