Arts >> Music >> Recording Music

How to Figure Out the BPM of a Song

The BPM or beats per minute of a song can be very useful information for someone wanting to create a mix of multiple songs. There are several ways of finding the BPM of a song. The easiest and most efficient ways are to count the BPM manually or to use an automatic BPM counter. There are also websites that have the BPMs calculated for you; however, not all songs are available.

Things You'll Need

  • Stopwatch or clock with a second counter
Show More

Instructions

  1. Manual Calculation

    • 1

      Play the song for which you want to calculate the BPM. Begin the song at the minute point on your watch or clock so you have an easy starting point.

    • 2

      Listen for the drumbeats of the song and count them for either 30 or 60 seconds. You can try clapping along with the song to find the beat.

    • 3

      Multiply the number of beats you counted by 2 if you counted for 30 seconds. For example, if you counted 35 beats in 30 seconds, you would simply multiply 35 by 2 to get 70 BPM. If you counted the beats for a full minute, no multiplication is necessary.

    Automatic Calculation

    • 4

      Open the Taps for Beats Per Minute website.

    • 5

      Play the song for which you want to calculate the BPM.

    • 6

      Press any key at the first beat. Keep pressing the same key for every beat of the song. The average number of beats per minute and the number of taps will appear in the boxes. The numbers will change as you continue tapping throughout the song.

    • 7

      Press "Reset" to try again if you have made any mistakes.

+:
+:

Recording Music

Related Categories