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Tap to detect BPM
About
The Tap Tempo tool detects BPM (beats per minute) by measuring the time between your taps. Tap the button or press the Space bar in time with the beat of a song. After a few taps, it shows the averaged BPM along with the Italian tempo marking (Andante, Allegro, etc.) and a table of note durations (whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes) at that tempo.
How to use
- 1 Click the TAP button or press Space in time with the beat.
- 2 After 2 taps, the BPM is displayed. Keep tapping to refine the average.
- 3 The tempo resets automatically after 3 seconds of inactivity.
- 4 Use the Reset button to start a new measurement.
- How accurate is tap tempo BPM detection?
- Accuracy improves with more taps. After 2 taps you have one interval; after 8–10 taps the average of 7–9 intervals is much more stable and typically accurate to within ±1–2 BPM. Tap steadily on the downbeat (beat 1 of each bar) for best results. The tool uses a rolling average of all taps in the current session.
- What are the Italian tempo markings?
- Italian tempo markings are traditional descriptors used in classical music: Larghissimo (<24 BPM), Largo (25–45), Adagio (46–65), Andante (66–76), Moderato (77–108), Allegro (109–132), Vivace (133–140), Presto (168–200), Prestissimo (>200). The tap tempo tool shows the closest matching marking so you can translate a felt tempo into a musical term.
- How do I use the note duration table?
- The note duration table shows how long each note value lasts in milliseconds at the detected BPM. For example, at 120 BPM a quarter note = 500ms, an eighth note = 250ms, a sixteenth note = 125ms. These values are useful for setting delay times in music production (to sync effects to the tempo), programming drum machines, and understanding rhythm in music theory.