Beats Per Minute Explained: How to Find a Song’s BPM

In the language of music, the phrase “beats per minute” (BPM) is relatively self-explanatory: It indicates the number of beats in one minute. For instance, a tempo notated as 60 BPM would mean that a beat sounds exactly once per second. A 120 BPM tempo would be twice as fast, with two beats per second.

Whether you're performing a Mozart sonata or a piece of electronic dance music, BPM is the most precise way of indicating a fast tempo, a slow tempo, and everything in between. BPM gets especially heavy use in applications where musical durations must be completely precise, such as film scoring. BPM values are also used to set digital metronomes for the highest level professional recordings. In fact, some people use the term “metronome marking” to describe beats per minute.

The duration that each beat represents will depend on the piece’s time signature. In a time signature with a four on the bottom (such as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, etc.), each beat corresponds with a quarter note. So in a 4/4 time, every four beats will take you through a full measure. In 5/4 time, every five beats will take you through a measure. In a time signature with an eight on the bottom (such as 3/8, 6/8, or 9/8), a tempo beat typically corresponds with an eighth note value.

Sometimes tempo beats correspond with other durations. For instance, if you want to count your way through a measure of 12/8, you could choose a tempo that represents eighth notes (where 12 tempo beats get you through one measure) or a tempo that represents dotted eighth notes (where four tempo beats would get you through the measure).

On some musical scores—particularly in classical music—musicians are given instructions in Italian. This includes tempo instructions for a piece of music or a particular section within that piece. Certain Italian words convey a tempo change or other information about the speed of the music.

Some Italian tempos are used more than others (particularly popular are largo, andante, allegro, and presto), but classical musicians are typically familiar with at least a dozen Italian tempo indications. Contemporary music theory books and musical scores use Italian terminology and BPM almost interchangeably, so it's important to develop familiarity with both.

Keep an eye out for the following Italian tempo markings, which frequently appear in sheet music.

1. 1. Larghissimo: very, very slow, almost droning (20 BPM and below)
2. 2. Grave: slow and solemn (20–40 BPM)
3. 3. Lento: slow but slightly faster than grave (40–60 BPM)
4. 4. Largo: the most commonly indicated “slow” tempo (40–60 BPM)
5. 5. Larghetto: still quite slow (60–66 BPM)
6. 6. Adagio: another popular slow tempo, which translates to mean "at ease" (66–76 BPM)
7. 7. Adagietto: relatively slow (70–80 BPM)
8. 8. Andante: a popular tempo that translates as “at a walking pace” (76–108 BPM)
9. 9. Moderato: moderately paced (108–120 BPM)
10. 10. Allegro moderato: moderately quick (112–124 BPM)
11. 11. Allegro: perhaps the most frequently used tempo marking (120–168 BPM, which includes the “heart rate tempo” sweet spot, even though most resting heart rates are much lower)
12. 12. Vivace: lively and fast (typically around 168-176 BPM)
13. 13. Presto: the most popular way to write “very fast” and a common tempo in fast movements of symphonies (ranges from 168–200 BPM)
14. 14. Prestissimo: extremely fast (more than 200 BPM)

Musical tempo can be as important an element as the actual notes and rhythms being played, and no unit of measure describes different tempos better than BPM. Experienced musicians can hear the words "allegro" or "vivace" and instantly have a sense of what tempos they convey. Those musicians should also be able to hear the phrase "60 BPM, "100 BPM," or "120 BPM" and sense that tempo in their head.

Understanding BPM can also assist your songwriting process. Most of today's popular songs are written in a tempo range of 100 to 140 BPM. For example, "Beat It" by Michael Jackson clocks in at 138 BPM while "Dancing Queen" by ABBA is exactly 100 BPM. Many songwriters consider 120 BPM to be the perfect tempo for crafting a hit. That is the tempo used on Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and Adele's "Rumour Has It." Meanwhile, many hip-hop songs use somewhat slower tempos, which allow MCs to maximize the syllable counts in their rhymes.

In the digital age, the fastest and most accurate way to find the tempo of a song is to use a smartphone app that allows users to tap the beat they hear on the screen of their phone. The app analyzes the pace of the tapping and displays a tempo in BPM. You can also use software that finds the BPM of a song you have recorded as an audio file (such as an mp3 file or WAV file). You can simply upload the song to any number of DJ software programs with a BPM counter function.

Digital audio workstation (DAW) software also features BPM calculators. These programs can analyze existing audio files, determine the tempo of the song, and create a click track you use for recording additional tracks. Even if the tempo of the existing song varies a bit, these tools can provide a song BPM range that you can further adjust if you wish.

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