How to find a song's BPM with tap tempo

Play the song, tap the beat four or more times on a tap-tempo tool, and it averages your taps into a BPM.

How it works

Tap tempo measures the time between your taps and converts the average into beats per minute. Four taps gives a rough answer; eight or more taps gives a reliable one. On the FreeMetronomeOnline homepage tool, press the Tap button in time with the music and the BPM appears as you tap.

What it is useful for

• Matching a practice tempo to a recording, so you can slow the part down and build back up to the original speed.
• DJing and playlist pacing - knowing each track's BPM makes smooth transitions easy.
• Transcribing: setting your notation software or drum machine to the song's real tempo before you start.

Tips for accurate taps

• Tap the quarter-note pulse, not the drum fills or the melody. Follow the beat you would clap along to.
• Tap at least 8 times. Early taps are usually rushed; the average settles as you keep going.
• Round to the nearest whole BPM. Most modern songs are recorded to a click track, so 127.4 almost always means 127.

Once you have the BPM, set it on the metronome and practice at it - or use the build-up method to work a hard passage up to that speed.