How to Find the BPM of Any Song

How Tap Tempo Works

Tap tempo is the simplest way to measure the speed of any piece of music. You listen to a song and tap a button in time with the beat. The tool measures the time between each of your taps, then calculates an average to give you the tempo in beats per minute (BPM). The more taps you provide, the more accurate the result. After just 3 or 4 taps, you will see an initial reading. But for a reliable measurement, aim for at least 8 to 10 taps. At that point, the statistical average becomes stable and the confidence indicator will show a high reading.

The confidence indicator at the bottom of the display uses three levels: low, medium, and high. Low means you need more taps or your timing is inconsistent. High means the tool has enough consistent data to give you a reliable BPM. The outlier filter automatically removes any mistaps that deviate too far from the average, so one bad tap will not ruin your reading.

Open the BPM Tapper and try it now →

Tips for Accurate Tapping

The key to getting an accurate BPM reading is tapping on the strongest beat of the music. In most pop, rock, and dance music, that is the kick drum, which usually falls on beats 1 and 3 in a standard 4/4 time signature. You can also tap on the snare drum (beats 2 and 4), since the interval stays the same. Before you start tapping, listen to the song for 4 to 8 beats to lock in on the rhythm. This is especially important for songs with syncopation or unusual rhythmic patterns.

Use a consistent finger or hand throughout your tapping session. Switching hands can introduce small timing differences. If the number is jumping around after several taps, you may be tapping off-beat. In that case, hit the reset button and try again. It is often faster to start fresh than to keep tapping and hope the average corrects itself.

Half and Double BPM

Some genres have a strong half-time or double-time feel that can trick your natural sense of rhythm. In hip-hop and dubstep, for example, the drums often play a half-time pattern where the snare only hits on beat 3 of every four beats. This makes the music feel half as fast as it actually is. If you tap along to a dubstep track, you might get a reading of around 70 BPM. But the actual tempo is 140 BPM, since the hi-hats and other elements are moving at double the speed of the snare. In this case, tap the double button to correct your reading from 70 to 140.

The same logic works in reverse. Very fast songs with a strong backbeat might lead you to tap at double the intended tempo. If you get 260 BPM when you expected around 130, press the half button to divide your reading by two. The half and double buttons are quick corrections that save you from having to re-tap the entire song.

See 140 BPM — typical dubstep tempo →

Using the Genre Table to Confirm

After finding your BPM, scroll down to the genre reference table on the tool page. This table shows the typical tempo range for 20 music genres. If your reading falls within the expected range for the genre you are listening to, you can be confident the result is correct. For example, if you measured 128 BPM and the song is a house track, the table confirms that house music typically runs between 115 and 130 BPM. Your reading fits perfectly. If the number seems too high or too low for the genre, try using the half or double buttons to correct it.

Once you know the exact BPM, you can use it to practice with a metronome at the same tempo. This is great for musicians learning a song by ear. Set the metronome to the BPM you found, and play along until you can keep up without it.

Practice with the Metronome at your BPM →