Tap Tempo
Tap with a regular pulse you hear or imagine. Treat the result as an estimate of your tapping, not a verdict on a recording's exact tempo.
Estimated BPM
Tap a steady pulse to estimate BPM.
Use a mouse, a finger or the Tap button. This page does not listen to a microphone. The estimate is the average gap between your recent taps, rounded to a whole BPM. It appears after two taps and keeps up to eight gaps. A pause longer than two seconds starts a new sequence. If the longest gap is more than one and a half times the shortest, no tempo is shown. Use this tempo saves the number and the beat unit, then opens the metronome without starting sound. A dotted quarter selects 6/8.
Find a pulse you can follow
Listen first, then tap at evenly spaced intervals. Keep tapping through a phrase rather than reacting to every note. Reset if you change to a different pulse or lose your place.
A useful result should feel comfortable to count aloud. If the music changes tempo, measure a particular section instead of expecting one value to describe the entire performance.
Half-time and double-time readings
The same music can suggest a slower or faster counting pulse. Tapping every other beat gives half the BPM; tapping twice for each beat gives double it.
| Your chosen tapping pattern | Illustrative reading |
|---|---|
| One tap per beat | 100 BPM |
| One tap every two beats | 50 BPM |
| Two evenly spaced taps per beat | 200 BPM |
These are mathematical examples, not measurements of a song. Check the tempo marking and note value in your score when available.
Take the tempo into practice
Use your selected pulse as a reference on the metronome. If the passage is difficult, begin below that tempo. Do not force your playing to match a tapping estimate.
Use this tempo keeps the estimate and the beat unit you selected. Half tempo and Double tempo adjust that number before you send it, and they stay inside 20–300 BPM.
Tap tempo questions
Does this identify a song?
No. This tool measures intervals between your taps. It does not identify a recording.
Why does the number move?
Uneven tapping produces different time intervals. Repeat while listening to the same part of the music.
Is a tap an eighth note or a quarter note?
A tap is a timing input. You choose which musical pulse it represents; compare the time-signature guide before using the result.