Finding a Song's BPM

mmulcahy1

Platinum Member
I'm in this new venture (it's the first time out for me) with a guitarist and bassist. Anyway, after 5 practices, the guitar player wants me to dial in the BPM for the songs we're practicing. So my question is, how do I this? Is it as simple as downloading an iPhone app?

Thanks for the help.
 
Yes there is a smartphone app where you can store all of your songs. You simply tap the target on your phone to the beat of the song. Then enter that beat for the song.
It will store each song along with the BPM of each song.

The only problem I had with it was that the band leader would switch the order of the songs. Then he would shout out the song and there would not be enough time to find the song on my phone.

If your band plays the songs in exact order it works pretty good. The lights on the phone blink to the beat and you can see the BPM and then count off the song to start the song. Or you can hear a click in your ear with an ear bud in your ear or a set of headphones.

I use an app called Tempo. But the free app I use has no song storage.

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I'm in this new venture (it's the first time out for me) with a guitarist and bassist. Anyway, after 5 practices, the guitar player wants me to dial in the BPM for the songs we're practicing. So my question is, how do I this? Is it as simple as downloading an iPhone app?

Thanks for the help.

yep....easy peasy. It's not a bad idea to have the set list on your smartphone with each bpm listed....
 
I'll try and find it for you.

or

Do a search on the internet for phone apps and study up on what is available.

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"Metronome Plus" will do it for you.

Looks like it costs $1.99.

Can't "beat" that.


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Hey mmulcahy1, Thanks for the motivation.

I just spent the big bucks ($1.99) to add a set list to my existing Tempo metronome App. It should come in handy with my new band.

You might want to look at the "Tempo" app. I like it.

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There's an iPhone app called "liveBPM Beat Detector" that shows a readout and graph of the tempo over the course of a song. it's obviously handy for seeing how steady you are, but also tells you the tempo. It works with any audio that has a rhythm, whether live playing or from a recording (just hold the mic end of the iPhone up to headphones or a speaker, and it will grab the tempo from that.) So if your rehearsing the song and it feels good, look at the display and you'll know the exact tempo.

Bermuda
 
There's an iPhone app called "liveBPM Beat Detector" that shows a readout and graph of the tempo over the course of a song. it's obviously handy for seeing how steady you are, but also tells you the tempo. It works with any audio that has a rhythm, whether live playing or from a recording (just hold the mic end of the iPhone up to headphones or a speaker, and it will grab the tempo from that.) So if your rehearsing the song and it feels good, look at the display and you'll know the exact tempo.

Bermuda


Hey !
Thanks Bermuda !

I just brought it for $4.

Very cool. Thanks !

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There's an iPhone app called "liveBPM Beat Detector" that shows a readout and graph of the tempo over the course of a song. it's obviously handy for seeing how steady you are, but also tells you the tempo. It works with any audio that has a rhythm, whether live playing or from a recording (just hold the mic end of the iPhone up to headphones or a speaker, and it will grab the tempo from that.) So if your rehearsing the song and it feels good, look at the display and you'll know the exact tempo.

Bermuda

I also just downloaded it for $4. Very cool program and great suggestion. I picked up the tempo pro program earlier and have a whole set programmed in for next week.

I hate stick tapped intros for songs during a gig, but I can compromise by doing something on the hats so the tempo app may prove to be very useful.

Good stuff fellas....thanks for the insight!
 
There's an iPhone app called "liveBPM Beat Detector" that shows a readout and graph of the tempo over the course of a song. it's obviously handy for seeing how steady you are, but also tells you the tempo. It works with any audio that has a rhythm, whether live playing or from a recording (just hold the mic end of the iPhone up to headphones or a speaker, and it will grab the tempo from that.) So if your rehearsing the song and it feels good, look at the display and you'll know the exact tempo.

Bermuda

What a great idea! Thanks for this tip. does the app allow for storage of song titles and BPM that the song should be played at so you can watch to see if the tempo is where it really should be as you rehearse it? either way 4 its worth 4 bucks.
 
Oh boy this "Live BPM Beat Detector" is cool.
I can just see what's going to happen now.

"Hey drummer boy ! You are dragging behind the beat !"
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm not, I'm trying to keep the beat where it belongs."
"No you are dragging behind."
"No I'm not and I can prove it!"

LOL

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What a great idea! Thanks for this tip. does the app allow for storage of song titles and BPM that the song should be played at so you can watch to see if the tempo is where it really should be as you rehearse it? either way 4 its worth 4 bucks.

I don't think it stores text information, that's simpler (and less-likely to be accidentally dumped) if you jut put the tempos on your set/song-list. And of course you still need a metronome app to count off the tempos. I use the 10 Key Click, which lets you key in the tempo without scrolling or use cursors to enter. It's easiest on the iPad for looking down and quickly tapping the numbers, but works on the iPhone as well. It's $3.99, which I kind of resented at first due to its simplicity and one basic function, but I use it all the time.

10keyclick.jpg


Bermuda
 
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Oh boy this "Live BPM Beat Detector" is cool.
I can just see what's going to happen now.

"Hey drummer boy ! You are dragging behind the beat !"
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm not, I'm trying to keep the beat where it belongs."
"No you are dragging behind."
"No I'm not and I can prove it!"

LOL

.


That's exactly what it's for... :)
 
Interesting thread. I would find typing in a bpm to an App before every song and starting that off on that with the band a real PITA, and kind of cheating.

Shouldn't the band learn the tempo, internalize it, through rehearsal?

Just a thought, If you want to settle arguments in a band at how fast/slow a song on record is, there is this one:

http://songbpm.com/
 
Interesting thread. I would find typing in a bpm to an App before every song and starting that off on that with the band a real PITA, and kind of cheating.
Shouldn't the band learn the tempo, internalize it, through rehearsal?

You are correct !

But these apps are useful when you first start to learn a song. And they are fun to play with while you are playing.

You are on the right track here. I think over using them could ruin the bands mojo and the flow of the song when the band is playing.

.
 
I don't think it stores text information, that's simpler (and less-likely to be accidentally dumped) if you jut put the tempos on your set/song-list. And of course you still need a metronome app to count off the tempos. I use the 10 Key Click, which lets you key in the tempo without scrolling or use cursors to enter. It's easiest on the iPad for looking down and quickly tapping the numbers, but works on the iPhone as well. It's $3.99, which I kind of resented at first due to its simplicity and one basic function, but I use it all the time.

10keyclick.jpg


Bermuda

I have been using "Set List Maker" ($3.99 plus any add-ons you may want, I think i spent 10 bucks total) - for about a year now, which is quite nice and a well thought out app - and i no longer have a bunch of papers laying around. ;-) If you have not looked at it I, highly recommend it. It stores info about the song, including textual notes you may want to enter for things like ques and where timing changes may be, lyrics, tempo, and does things like midi program changes, etc. It has display modes for both practice and performances. It also allows you to store the songs and lists and play them back with a speedup or slowdown. The metronome can do flashing as well, which i never though of using until your suggestion of liveDBM for making sure tempos do not vary too much.

Using the 2 apps in concert is a going to work out nice for me.

Thanks again for the tip!
 
Interesting thread. I would find typing in a bpm to an App before every song and starting that off on that with the band a real PITA, and kind of cheating.

Shouldn't the band learn the tempo, internalize it, through rehearsal?

Not a pain at all, and not cheating.

Internalized tempos are subject to change on the gig for a variety of reasons: anxiety, fatigue, frustration, substance influence, injury, or other emotional influences. But when a tempo is established in a neutral setting and agreed upon by everyone, it will always be consistent. That doesn't guarantee that the song will always sound great, but it eliminates "the wrong tempo" as the possible cause.

Bermuda
 
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