Arts >> Music >> Music Basics

How to Determine a Song's Tempo

Tempo is the measure of beats per minute. Musicians regularly have to calculate tempo to determine if a piece is performed at the proper pace. It also is sometimes necessary to take a prerecorded song and determine the tempo from the audio. Calculating the tempo is a fairly simple task that requires the user to be able to accurately identify the beat of the composition. With a little bit of math and some basic knowledge of metrical pulse, it is possible for anyone to determine the tempo of a song.

Things You'll Need

  • Calculator
  • Stopwatch
  • Tap tempo software (optional)
Show More

Instructions

  1. Manual Method

    • 1

      Start the song and begin tapping your foot to the beat. The beat is not the same thing as a rhythm. The rhythmical beat, or pulse, is a steady tempo that occurs throughout the piece. When people dance, they dance to a beat and not a rhythm.

    • 2

      Continue tapping the beat with your foot, and start the stopwatch. Time yourself for 20 seconds, and count the number of beats that occur within 20 seconds.

    • 3

      Multiple the number of beats in 20 seconds of time by three to give you the tempo of the piece.

    Software Method

    • 4

      Download the Tap Tempo application, and install it onto a PC, which is required to use the application.

    • 5

      Launch the program by double-clicking its icon, or select it through the "Program" menu.

    • 6

      Tap the beat of the song on the keyboard with the spacebar. After 10 to 20 seconds, the program displays the song's tempo.

+:
+:

Music Basics

Related Categories