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Tap BPM: find the tempo of any song by tapping

Tap along with the music, a rehearsal or the song in your head. Four taps give you the BPM, and the more you tap the steadier it gets. Then start the metronome at that tempo.

—BPM
Tap at least four times. Outliers are ignored automatically.
Song on YouTube or Spotify? The free Chrome extension reads any tab: key, BPM and chords over the video, plus key and speed changes. New installs get 7 days of Pro free. See the extension

How to use it

Tap BPM: find the tempo of any song by tapping

  1. Tap to the beat

    Press the button or the space bar on every beat. Count the pulse you would clap to.

  2. Keep going for a few bars

    After four taps you get a BPM. Stray taps are ignored, so one early or late tap won’t move the result.

  3. Use the tempo

    Start the metronome at that BPM, or copy the note lengths in milliseconds into a delay or a tremolo.

What BPM means and why tapping works

BPM, beats per minute, is the speed of the pulse. A ballad usually sits between 60 and 80 BPM, most pop and worship songs between 70 and 130, and dance music between 120 and 175.

Tapping works because your hand follows the beat you feel. The counter takes the middle value of the time between your taps, so a single wrong tap barely changes the result. If you hear the song in double time, tap half as often: 150 and 75 BPM describe the same groove.

More tools

Free tools for musicians

They all run in your browser, on your computer or your phone, with nothing to install.

Key and BPM analyzerKey, Camelot code and BPM of your audio files.Tap BPMTap the beat and get the tempo in four taps.Metronome30 to 300 BPM, accented first beat, 2 to 6 beats per bar.Chord transposerMove a song to any key and rewrite its chords.Camelot wheelWhich keys mix well, for DJs and producers.TunerChromatic tuner for any instrument or your voice.

FAQ

Questions

How many taps do I need?

Four taps give a first reading. Eight to sixteen taps, about two to four bars, give a steady number.

Can I use the keyboard?

Yes. Press the space bar on every beat while the page has focus.

Why is my BPM half or double what I expected?

Both are valid readings of the same groove. Musicians usually count the pulse they would clap or step to. Tap that pulse and you get the tempo most charts use.

Can I get the BPM of an audio file?

Yes. Drop the file into the free analyzer and it measures the key and the BPM for you, with nothing uploaded.