Tap Tempo
Tap along with any song to find its BPM — on the pad below or with your spacebar. Four taps gets you close; eight taps gets you accurate.
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BPM
Waiting for the first tap
How tap tempo works
Every tap is timestamped, and the BPM is the average of the gaps between your last 9 taps — 60,000 ms divided by the average gap. A single pair of taps is easily thrown off by a few milliseconds of reaction time, which is why the number settles as you keep tapping. Pause for a couple of seconds and the counter starts fresh.
Tips for an accurate reading
- Tap the backbeat. The snare on two and four is the easiest thing in a mix to lock onto — tapping every snare hit gives you the tempo directly in most 4/4 songs.
- Watch for half and double readings. If a song feels slow and heavy you may be tapping half-time — a 140 BPM trap beat often reads 70. Double or halve the result to taste; both are "correct."
- Keep tapping through eight or more beats. The rolling average irons out the jitter in your taps.
Got the number? Turn it into a practice track with the free click track generator — set the tempo, add sections, and download the WAV — or jump straight to a ready-made page from the tempo list.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the BPM of a song?
Play the song and tap along with the drums — the snare backbeat is the easiest anchor. After four taps you have a rough number; after eight or more the average settles within a BPM or two of the true tempo.
How many taps do I need for an accurate BPM?
Two taps give a first guess, but each tap lands with 10–30 ms of human jitter. This tool averages your last nine taps, so eight or more beats of steady tapping usually pins the tempo within about one BPM.
Why does the BPM read double or half what I expect?
Because tempo is a feel, not just a number — a slow, heavy song tapped on every kick can read 70 while the chart says 140. If the reading looks off by exactly 2×, halve or double it; both describe the same groove.
Can I use my keyboard to tap?
Yes — the spacebar taps from anywhere on the page, or press Enter with the pad focused. Every input counts toward the same rolling average.