Tap tempo BPM counter: find any song’s tempo
Tap tempo turns your taps into a BPM reading. Tap along with a song, a drummer or a riff in your head, and the counter shows the tempo after two taps and settles as you keep going. It is free, runs in your browser and works on a phone.
How the BPM counter works
Each tap is timed to the millisecond. The counter takes the gaps between your most recent taps, up to eight, and uses the middle value rather than the average, so one early or late tap does not throw the reading off. It reads tempos from 30 to 300 BPM. Stop tapping for a couple of seconds and your next tap starts a fresh measurement, so you can move straight on to the next song.
Tap with a key, a click or a thumb
On a computer, press Space or Enter to tap and R to reset, which is steadier than clicking a mouse. On a phone, tap the large pad with one thumb. Whichever you use, keep the same finger and the same motion for every tap: switching hands halfway through adds more wobble than the song does.
How many taps you need
Two taps give a first estimate. More steady taps can stabilise the reading, but its accuracy still depends on your timing and the pulse you choose. If the number keeps jumping, the song may speed up or slow down, or you may be switching between two pulses. Reset, listen for a bar, and tap again from beat one.
Tap the pulse, not the melody
Tap the beat you would nod your head to, usually the kick and snare pattern rather than the vocal or the hi-hat. A busy melody may place several notes between beats, while a sustained note may last across several beats. Keep your taps steady even when the surface rhythm changes.
Half-time or double-time?
A result near 70 may also be 140, and 80 may also be 160, depending on which recurring pulse you tapped. The Half and Double buttons swap between the two. Count a phrase at each reading and choose the beat unit that makes the bars and accents useful for your practice. A genre label alone cannot tell you which reading is right.
Check the result by listening
Press Use in metronome to open the click at the tempo you found, then play the song and the click together. A difference of 1 or 2 BPM becomes obvious over a few bars as the click drifts ahead or behind. Live recordings often move, so one number may not describe the whole track.
Practise the song at that tempo
A song’s BPM is a target, not a starting point. Learn the part 20 to 30 BPM slower, then climb a few BPM at a time. When the part is solid, swap the click for a drum beat in the song’s style at the same tempo, or save the song with its tempo and count-in in your song list so it is ready next time.