Pulse & Tempo

What is the pulse in music? Tap along with a metronome, learn what BPM means, and get a feel for slow, medium, and fast tempos.

Every piece of music has a heartbeat. Start the click below and tap along — can you lock onto it?

BPM 90

TAP BPM

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OFFSET

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The pulse

That steady click is the pulse, also called the beat: it is what your foot taps and your head nods to. Everything in rhythm is measured against it. Watch the offset readout — the closer to 0 ms, the tighter your timing.

BPM

Tempo is measured in BPM, beats per minute. At 90 BPM the click fires 90 times every minute. Drag the fader and feel the pulse stretch and squeeze — then try tapping along again at a new speed.

Tempo feel

Around 60 BPM: a slow ballad — one beat per second.
Around 120 BPM: classic pop and dance territory.
Around 170 BPM: sprinting — drum and bass fast.

Now test whether your ears can judge tempo.

Challenge

1/3

Listen to this drum loop. Does it feel slow or fast?

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