How to find the BPM of a song by tapping
Start the song, then tap the pad on every beat. On a computer you can press the space bar or any other key instead. The BPM shows up after your second tap and settles as you keep going. Ten to fifteen seconds of tapping is a good rule of thumb.
If you are unsure which beat to follow, tap along with the part you would naturally tap your foot to, such as the kick drum or the snare.
What is tap tempo?
Tap tempo is a way of measuring BPM by tapping. Instead of counting beats against a clock, you tap along and the tool works out the speed for you. The same feature appears on many guitar pedals and in music software.
How this BPM counter works
The counter records the time of every tap and averages the gaps between your most recent twelve taps. It divides 60,000 by that average gap in milliseconds, which gives beats per minute. The small numbers under the pad are your last four single-gap readings, so you can see how steady your tapping is. If you pause for about two and a half seconds, it starts over.
Tap BPM more accurately
- Tap on a steady part of the music, such as the kick or the snare, and avoid a vocal that moves around the beat.
- Keep going. One early or late tap moves the number a lot at first, and every extra tap reduces its effect.
- Watch the readings under the pad. If they sit close together, your tapping is steady. If they jump around, press Reset and start again. The steadiness line under the pad shows how much your last taps varied.
Why your BPM can read double or half
Some music feels as if it moves at half or twice its counted speed while the tempo underneath stays the same. Musicians call this half-time and double-time feel. In a half-time groove the snare often lands on beat 3, so the music feels slower and heavier. It shows up in rock, hip-hop, metal, pop and electronic music, among other styles.
The tool measures what you tap, so it cannot know which pace you mean. If a reading is half or double what you expected, press the ½× or 2× button. Software that detects BPM automatically can make the same mistake, because it can lock onto the half-time pulse. The half-time and double-time guide explains it in more detail.
What the controls do
- Reset clears your taps and starts over.
- ½× and 2× halve or double the current BPM.
- − and + change the BPM by one.
- Set the BPM yourself by typing a number from 1 to 999 into the box under the pad and pressing Enter.
- Open this tempo in the metronome sends your number to the tap tempo metronome. The BPM to ms calculator turns it into note lengths in milliseconds.
BPM finder or BPM tapper?
If you came looking for a BPM finder that analyzes an MP3 or a YouTube link, this is not that. This is a tap tempo counter. It measures your tapping and does not read audio files or look songs up. For a song you can hear, tapping along is quick and needs no upload. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you tap is sent anywhere. For other ways to find a tempo, see how to find the BPM of a song.
Common questions
What does BPM mean?
BPM stands for beats per minute, the number of beats in one minute of music.
How many taps do I need?
Two taps give a first reading, but more is better. The counter averages your last twelve taps, so ten to fifteen seconds of tapping gives a steadier number.
Is the BPM tapper accurate?
It is as accurate as your tapping. The math is exact, but people never tap perfectly evenly, which is why the number settles as you go and why the readings under the pad can differ a little.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Tap the pad with your thumb. It works on phones, tablets and computers, it is free, and you do not need an account.
How do I use tap tempo in Logic, Ableton or Pro Tools?
Each has its own tap tempo control. The DAW tap tempo guide shows where to find it.
Can I set a metronome to my tapped tempo?
Yes. Use the link under the pad, or open the metronome and tap along there.