Tap Tempo – Find the BPM of Any Song
Tap along with a song and this tap tempo tool shows its speed in beats per minute (BPM) as you go. Click the button, touch the screen or press the Space bar on each beat. The tool averages your taps and ignores accidental ones, then gives you a steady BPM you can use. When you have the tempo, switch to the Metronome tab to practise with a click at the same speed.
How to Find the BPM of a Song by Tapping
1. Play the song and listen for the main pulse, the beat you would naturally tap your foot to.
2. Tap the TAP TEMPO button, the tap area, the Space bar or the T key on every beat.
3. Keep tapping for at least 8 beats. The BPM appears from the second tap and settles as you continue.
4. Read the large BPM number. “Measured” shows the exact value to one decimal place, and “Interval” shows the average time between your taps.
5. Stop tapping for about 2 seconds to finish. The BPM stays on screen, and your next tap starts a new measurement.
6. Press Reset to clear everything and start again from zero.
You can also type a BPM into the box below the display, or fine-tune the result with the −5, −1, +1 and +5 buttons. The tool accepts whole numbers from 30 to 300 BPM, which covers almost all music from slow ballads to fast drum and bass.
How Tap Tempo Calculates BPM
BPM is the number of beats in one minute. A minute has 60,000 milliseconds, so the tool divides 60,000 by the average time between your taps.
FORMULA
BPM = 60,000 ÷ average interval between taps (in milliseconds)
PARAGRAPH
Nobody taps with perfect timing, so the tool does more than look at your last two taps. It keeps your most recent 12 intervals and finds the median (the middle value). Any interval more than 25% away from that median is treated as a mistake and left out, and the rest are averaged. Taps closer together than 160 milliseconds count as accidental double taps and are ignored.
EXAMPLE
You tap four beats with gaps of 500, 510, 490 and 505 ms. The average is (500 + 510 + 490 + 505) ÷ 4 = 501.25 ms. The tempo is 60,000 ÷ 501.25 = 119.7 BPM, shown as 120 BPM.
EXAMPLE
You tap at 120 BPM but miss a beat, so one gap is 1,000 ms instead of 500 ms: 500, 505, 495, 1,000 and 500 ms. The median is 500 ms, and 1,000 ms is far outside the 25% limit, so it is removed. The average of the remaining four gaps is 500 ms, and the result stays at 120 BPM.
PARAGRAPH
If the music speeds up or slows down, the tool notices when three taps in a row move in the same direction by more than 15%. It then drops the older taps and follows the new tempo, so you don’t need to press Reset when a song changes speed.
Tips for an Accurate Tap Tempo Reading
– Tap on the kick drum or snare rather than on vocals or melody, which often run ahead of or behind the beat.
– Give the tool at least 8 to 12 taps. More taps give a more stable average.
– If the result is about half or double what you expected, you are tapping every other beat or every half beat. Both readings are mathematically correct, so choose the one that matches how the music feels.
– Use a key on your keyboard for the most consistent timing. Touchscreens can add small delays on some devices.
– Pause for 2 seconds before measuring a new song so that the old taps are not mixed in.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Tap Tempo tab | Metronome tab |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Registers a tap | Starts or stops the metronome |
| T | Registers a tap | Registers a tap (updates the metronome tempo) |
| Enter (with the TAP button focused) | Registers a tap | — |
| Arrow Up / Arrow Down (in the BPM box) | +1 / −1 BPM (Shift for ±5) | +1 / −1 BPM (Shift for ±5) |
NOTE
Shortcuts work while the tool is visible on screen and you are not typing in a text field.
Use the Tap Tempo Metronome
The Metronome tab plays a click at the current BPM, so you can find a song’s tempo and then practise to it straight away. Press Start to begin and Stop to end. The numbered circles light up on each beat, and beat 1 has a higher-pitched click so you can hear where each bar begins. If you change the BPM, time signature or subdivision while it plays, the next beat follows the new setting without stopping.
Tapping in the Tap Tempo tab also updates a running metronome. This is useful for matching a click to a recording or a live band. Pressing Reset in the Tap Tempo tab clears your taps but does not stop the metronome.
Time Signatures and Accents
The time signature sets how many beats are in each bar. The tool always counts BPM in quarter notes, the same convention most music software uses. In 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 5/4 each beat is a quarter note. In 6/8 and 7/8 each beat is an eighth note, half as long as a quarter note.
| Time Signature | Beats per Bar | Accent Pattern | Bar Length at 120 BPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | 2 quarter notes | Beat 1 | 1.0 second |
| 3/4 | 3 quarter notes | Beat 1 | 1.5 seconds |
| 4/4 | 4 quarter notes | Beat 1 | 2.0 seconds |
| 5/4 | 5 quarter notes | 1 strong, 4 medium (3+2) | 2.5 seconds |
| 6/8 | 6 eighth notes | 1 strong, 4 medium (3+3) | 1.5 seconds |
| 7/8 | 7 eighth notes | 1 strong, 3 and 5 medium (2+2+3) | 1.75 seconds |
Tap Tempo in 6/8 and 7/8
For a song in 6/8, most people feel two big beats per bar, not six. Tap on those two pulses and the tool returns the tempo of the dotted quarter note. Multiply it by 1.5 to get the quarter-note BPM used by the metronome. For example, tapping 80 pulses per minute in 6/8 gives 80 × 1.5 = 120 BPM, and the metronome at 120 BPM in 6/8 plays six eighth notes per bar that line up with your taps. Songs in 7/8 usually group as 2+2+3, which is the accent pattern the metronome uses.
Beat Subdivisions
Subdivisions add quieter clicks between the main beats. They help you play evenly at slow tempos and lock in fast rhythms.
| Subdivision | Clicks per Beat | Time Between Clicks at 120 BPM in 4/4 |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter notes (1/4) | 1 | 500 ms |
| Eighth notes (1/8) | 2 | 250 ms |
| Sixteenth notes (1/16) | 4 | 125 ms |
| Triplets | 3 | About 167 ms |
In 6/8 and 7/8 the subdivision buttons relabel themselves (eighth, sixteenth, 32nd, triplets), because each beat is already an eighth note.
Convert BPM to Milliseconds for Delay Effects
The Interval value in the tool is the length of one beat in milliseconds. Many delay pedals and plug-ins use this number to set a delay that repeats in time with the music. To work it out yourself, divide 60,000 by the BPM.
| BPM | Quarter Note | Dotted Eighth | Eighth Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1,000 ms | 750 ms | 500 ms |
| 90 | 666.7 ms | 500 ms | 333.3 ms |
| 100 | 600 ms | 450 ms | 300 ms |
| 120 | 500 ms | 375 ms | 250 ms |
| 140 | 428.6 ms | 321.4 ms | 214.3 ms |
| 150 | 400 ms | 300 ms | 200 ms |
NOTE
Values are rounded to one decimal place. Dotted eighth = quarter note × 0.75, and eighth note = quarter note × 0.5.
Common Tempo Ranges
Italian tempo markings give a rough idea of speed. Different sources and composers use slightly different ranges, so treat these as approximate.
| Marking | Meaning | Approximate BPM |
|---|---|---|
| Largo | Very slow, broad | 40–60 |
| Adagio | Slow | 66–76 |
| Andante | Walking pace | 76–108 |
| Moderato | Moderate | 108–120 |
| Allegro | Fast, lively | 120–156 |
| Vivace / Allegro vivo | Lively and fast | 156–176 |
| Presto | Very fast | 168–200 |
Tap Tempo FAQs
What is tap tempo?
Tap tempo is a way of setting or measuring a tempo by tapping a button in time with the music. The device or tool measures the time between your taps and converts it into beats per minute. You’ll find it in online tools like this one, in metronomes, and on many delay and modulation pedals.
Is tap tempo the same as BPM?
No. BPM is the unit for tempo, and tap tempo is a method of finding it. When you tap on each beat, the tool turns the spacing of your taps into a BPM value. For example, taps 500 ms apart equal 120 BPM.
Why does the BPM change while I'm tapping?
The first few taps give only one or two intervals, so small timing differences have a big effect. As you keep tapping, the tool averages more intervals and filters out mistakes, so the number settles. After about 8 taps the reading is usually steady.
I got half or double the BPM I expected. What happened?
You were probably tapping every second beat (giving half the BPM) or on every half beat (giving double). A song at 140 BPM can feel like 70, and both are valid readings. Pick the value that matches how the song is counted, or use the −5 and +5 buttons and the number box to set it exactly.
What is tap tempo on a delay pedal?
On a delay pedal, tap tempo sets the delay time from the rhythm you tap with your foot. Instead of turning a knob, you tap two or more times and the repeats follow that timing. You can use the Interval value from this tool, or the table above, to check the delay time in milliseconds.
What BPM range does this tool support?
Tapping, the number box and the metronome all work from 30 to 300 BPM. Taps less than 160 ms apart are ignored as accidental double taps, and a gap of about 2 seconds starts a new measurement. That gap is just long enough for the slowest supported tempo of 30 BPM.
Does the tool listen to or upload my music?
No. The tool only measures the timing of your taps, and all calculations happen in your browser. It does not use your microphone, record audio or upload anything.
Why can't I hear the metronome on my phone?
Check that your media volume is up and, on an iPhone, that the silent switch is off, because it can mute web audio. Browsers only allow sound after you press a button, so press Start again if audio was interrupted, for example by a phone call.
Find Your Tempo Now - Tap Tempo
Play a song, tap along for a few bars, and the BPM is ready to use. Then open the Metronome tab to practise at exactly the same speed.
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