MC Peko

The Science Of

BPMan illustrated guide

working draft

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 01 - INTRODUCTION............................................................................7About the author...................................................................................................9About the front cover...........................................................................................10How to use this book...........................................................................................11Legend................................................................................................................11Errata..................................................................................................................12Meet Metroman...................................................................................................13

CHAPTER 02 - BASIC CONCEPTS......................................................................15What is BPM?.....................................................................................................16Beats...................................................................................................................16Per......................................................................................................................16Minute.................................................................................................................16What is a metronome?........................................................................................16What is time?......................................................................................................18What is frequency?.............................................................................................19What is sound?...................................................................................................21What is music?....................................................................................................22What is RPM?.....................................................................................................22What is wavelength?...........................................................................................22BPM and the senses...........................................................................................23

CHAPTER 03 - HISTORY......................................................................................24The history of metronomes.................................................................................25

CHAPTER 04 - RELATIONS.................................................................................30BPM and frequency............................................................................................31BPM and wavelength..........................................................................................31BPM and delay-time............................................................................................33BPM and RPM....................................................................................................37BPM and signatures............................................................................................38

CHAPTER 05 – SPEEDS.......................................................................................40Italian tempi.........................................................................................................41Basic tempo markings.........................................................................................41Common qualifiers..............................................................................................41Mood markings with a tempo connotation...........................................................42Terms for change in tempo.................................................................................42French tempi.......................................................................................................42German tempi.....................................................................................................43English tempi......................................................................................................43Electronic genres................................................................................................43Rock genres........................................................................................................43Human expressions............................................................................................43

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CHAPTER 06 - ARCHIVES...................................................................................45BPM databases...................................................................................................46BPM listings........................................................................................................47Examples............................................................................................................47World records......................................................................................................54

CHAPTER 07 - MEASUREMENT..........................................................................55How to measure BPM.........................................................................................56Automatic............................................................................................................56Manual................................................................................................................56Semi-automatic...................................................................................................56Reading..............................................................................................................56

CHAPTER 08 – FURTHER READING..................................................................57Wrong BPM’s......................................................................................................58Default BPM’s.....................................................................................................58Accuracy.............................................................................................................58How to check a metronome – timing the timer....................................................58Decimals.............................................................................................................60Compatible BPM’s..............................................................................................60Suggested use of BPM.......................................................................................60The pros and cons of BPM.................................................................................61Ritterando and accelerando................................................................................61Formulas.............................................................................................................62BPM in tags.........................................................................................................63Illustrating BPM...................................................................................................64BPM ranges and why limit?................................................................................66Most common BPM.............................................................................................66Current BPM.......................................................................................................66Average BPM......................................................................................................66The future of BPM...............................................................................................67How to practice and memorize...........................................................................67

CHAPTER 09 - METRONOMES............................................................................69Hardware............................................................................................................70Analogue.............................................................................................................70Digital..................................................................................................................73Wittner................................................................................................................ 73Boss....................................................................................................................74Boss DB-30 Dr.Beat............................................................................................75Boss DB-60 Dr.Beat............................................................................................75Korg....................................................................................................................77Matrix..................................................................................................................79Qwick Time.........................................................................................................80QT3.....................................................................................................................80Seiko...................................................................................................................81Cherub................................................................................................................81Software..............................................................................................................82Open source.......................................................................................................82

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Closed source.....................................................................................................82

CHAPTER 10 – TAP-PADS...................................................................................83Hardware............................................................................................................84Analogue.............................................................................................................84Digital..................................................................................................................84Software..............................................................................................................84Open source.......................................................................................................84Closed source.....................................................................................................84

CHAPTER 11 - HEART BEAT...............................................................................85BPM use in health and training...........................................................................86

CHAPTER 12 - TRANSLATION............................................................................88BPM in other languages......................................................................................89Metronome in other languages...........................................................................89Tap-pad in other languages................................................................................89

INDEX.................................................................................................................... 90

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illustration

CHAPTER 01 - INTRODUCTION

Dedicated to the love of my life, Tina Engen.

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Foreword

So, I’m writing a book. I’m used to writing songs, emails and web-pages and stuff, but a real book is one step up for me. I was hoping someone else had written this. I searched libraries and the internet. I found bits and pieces about BPM and metronomes here and there, but no major work on the subject. I began collecting the information and trying to understand it. I also started to script an application in Macromedia Flash with its language ActionScript. My initial idea was to combine a metronome with a tap-pad. This opened up a seemingly unlimited amount of new possibilities. I feel I’ve come up with some new concepts here, or at the very least, made some new and interesting combinations and expanded a bit on these. Many of the illustrations in this book are made in this application, and the application itself is included on the cd that comes with this book. We’ll visit topics such as metronomes, taping, records, tapes, music genres, time, drums, sequencers, databases and pulse, but without swaying too far away from the topic at hand, beats per minute.

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MC Peko photo by Linda Edvardsen

About the author

MC Peko aka. Ole Morten Sørensen was born in Fredrikstad, Norway, 1975. He works mainly with music, graphics and computers. He has worked as a singer, songwriter, light-technician, sound-technician, concert-booker, coder, graphics-designer, actor, photographer, concert-rigger, mixer, remixer, mastering-engineer, drummer, web-master, translator, illustrator, animator, janitor, producer, and now author, to name but a few. He runs a small studio named Focus Studios, a small record label named Fuzz Pop and a band / project named Flamenco Peko. Additional biographical material, discography, updates, projects and so forth can be found on his web-site http://flamencopeko.net. He can be reached by email through ole@flamencopeko.net.

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Front cover

About the front cover

The illustration on the front cover is a caesium atom. This elementary particle was chosen to grace the sleeve because under the International System of Units, a second is now defined as the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom. This definition refers to a caesium atom at rest at a temperature of 0 Kelvin, also known as absolute zero. The electrons are swapped for a metronome, a drum kit and a pair of drum sticks. This illustration, as well as all other illustrations in this book, was drawn by the author. Caesium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cs and atomic number 55 in the periodic table of elements. It is a soft silvery-gold alkali metal which is one of at least three metals that are liquid at or near room temperature. This element is most notably used in atomic clocks. The variant spelling cesium is sometimes used, especially in North American English, but caesium is the spelling used by the IUPAC, although since 1993 it has recognized cesium as a variant as well.

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How to use this book

Read it from beginning to end. Then do it again. As it’s also meant as a reference, there is a certain amount of repeating information. For instance the formula for converting between BPM and frequency is found both under CHAPTER 04 – RELATIONS | BPM and frequency and under CHAPTER 08 - FURTHER READING | Formulas.

Legend

These symbols show up on the left side now and then to identify certain kinds of information.

Cross-referencePoints to additional information on a subject elsewhere in the book.

ImportantDenotes information fundamental to the concept and of particular importance.

TechnicalDenotes information of particular technical or advanced nature, skipable to the casual reader.

ReferenceReference to sources like web-sites, or other publications, outside this book. In other words the credit given where credit is due. Can also point to further reading on a subject beyond the scope of this book.

Errata

Prospective errors will be listed on http://flamencopeko.net/bpm_errata.html and of course fixed in eventual future reprints. Should you find any errors, typos, or other wrongs, or if you have suggestions, complaints or questions feel free to drop me a line at ole@flamencopeko.net or Focus Studios, Farmannsgate 1, 1607 Fredrikstad, Norway. I’ll try to answer every letter. Significant contributions will be rewarded with a mention in the general thanks list at http://flamencopeko.net/thanks.html. Thanks.

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Metroman illustration

Meet Metroman

Hi kids! I'm Metroman! I'm here to spice up your reading experience. Notice how I use fancy effects like gradients and exclamation-marks to make learning about BPM and metronomes and stuff less dull!

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Syntax

BPM in this book is consequently written like this: BPM. Other acceptable spellings would include bpm, Bpm or b.p.m., but are not used here. The plenum variant is written like this: BPMs. In none-abbreviated form I use Beats Per Minute. The same conventions goes for RPM.

illustration

CHAPTER 02 - BASIC CONCEPTS

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What is BPM?

BPM is an acronym for Beats Per Minute, meaning the pace of something measured by the number of beats occurring in 60 seconds. It is commonly used in music and for heart-beats. I haven’t found any other areas that use BPM, but if there are, I’d be interested to know. The human ear can distinguish separate pulses up to a frequency of around 15Hz [900 BPM], thereafter the pulses are perceived as a single sound, and beyond around 1200 BPM [20Hz] as a bass frequency [and harmonics]. This places a natural perceptual limit on the actual BPM of a track. [The PR value of claiming a high BPM might still be unaffected by whether it can actually be discerned by a human listener.] Following is a break-down of the three words.

Beats

To beat means to hit something, for instance to beat a drum. The word has several similar or related meanings, such as to violently strike someone or to defeat an enemy. None of which are important to this lecture.

Per

Apart from being a common Norwegian name, not much is to be said about this noun.

Minute

A minute is a time measurement unit. One minute is 60 seconds. One hour is 60 minutes. In 1967 the 13th General Conference on Weights and Measures defined the second on the basis of vibrations of the Cesium 133 atom. For the first time the world’s timekeeping standard was not based on astronomical observations but on quantum physics. By the mid 1970's the atomic clock was able to achieve accuracies better than one second in 300,000 years. As the new millennium swept across the world, Cesium atomic clocks in both the US and Europe were able to measure its progress to an accuracy better than 0.05 seconds per million years. The illustration on the front cover is based on a Cesium 133 atom. The chemical formula is Cs. The atomic number is 55.

For more information on atomic clocks see http://www.facts-about.org.uk/science-cesium-atomic-clock.htm. Certain information on atomic clocks was found on http://www.facts-about.org.uk/science-cesium-atomic-clock.htm.

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http://www.musicroom.com/fr-FR/imagezoom.aspx?product_id=21178

What is a metronome?

A metronome is a device for keeping time. They can be analogue or digital, hardware or software.

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What is time?

Time is considered one of the four known dimensions. width [x], height [y], depth [z] and time [t]. Whilst width, height and depth are all spatial dimensions, time is the only known temporal dimension. Recent and advanced science suggests there are more than four dimensions. This is too esoteric to expand on in this book. At least for now, the universe is thought to be approximately 15,7 billion years old. Actually we’re becoming quite certain. The farther you see, the further back in time you see. This is because what we see is light, and light takes time to reach us. It travels at the speed of, well, light. Our telescopes have now peeked all the way back to when the universe was very young, and soon, very soon, we’ll see the very beginning! The speed of light is however not completely constant. In recent years we have learned to slow it down and amazingly, even stop it. We can speed it up again too, but to break the light-speed barrier has proven to be a somewhat daunting task. Nevertheless, scientists are hard at work on this issue and there is little doubt in my mind that we will one day travel faster than light. They do on Star Trek! And it’s called warp. Earth is considered to be approximately 4 billion years old. Earth-years mind you. Years, hours, minutes and all other time units are relative, meaning they actually last longer or shorter depending on where you are. This has been proven by sending a clock out to orbit the Earth and then bringing it back down. Yes, even a few miles between you and another person will expose you to different time. As of today we only travel geographically. Most studies show that travelling in time is possible as well.

clock photo http://www.bettymills.com/store/images/product/CSET9883.JPG

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Painting of Heinrich Hertz was obtained from http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/HertzBio.htm.

What is frequency?

Frequency is quite similar to BPM, but per second instead of minute. The scale for frequency is Hertz or in short form Hz, named after German physicist Heinrich Rudolph Hertz [1857-1894] who was the first to produce electromagnetic waves artificially. Hertz opened the way for the development of radio, television, and radar with his discovery of electromagnetic waves between 1886 and 1888. Their existence had been predicted in 1873 [or 1864!?] by the mathematical equations of James Clerk Maxwell, a British scientist.

The relationship between frequency and bpm is explained in CHAPTER 04 – RELATIONS | BPM and frequency.

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Frequency illustrationhttp://sengpielaudio.com/WavelengthFrequencyMedium.jpg

Information on Heinrich Hertz was obtained from http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/HertzBio.htm. For more information on Heinrich Hertz see http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/HertzBio.htm.

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microphone to amplifier to speakers to ear to brain illustration

What is sound?

Sound is vibration. Sound can travel in any material, but in different speeds. We perceive sound with our ears. The vibrations that hit our ears are translated to signals that the brain can understand.

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musicians illustrationhttp://www.westarmusic.com/Graphics/country-guy.jpghttp://www.embroideryaccentsofaz.com/images/fifties_rock_and_roll_guy.gifhttp://www.baytherapy.com/images/kids/hip_hop_girl_small.jpg

What is music?

Music is the combination of rhythm and melody. Lyrics are often added, but not required and not really a part of the definition music. We divide music into different genres such as classical, popular and folk. Certain genres are on the verge of being considered music. For instance, noise, ambient and spoken word.

For a reference of music genres and their typical BPM ranges see CHAPTER 05 – SPEEDS | Electronic genres and CHAPTER 05 – SPEEDS | Rock genres.

What is RPM?

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RPM is an acronym for Rounds Per Minute. RPM is typically used for vinyl records. Vinyls tend to spin at 33 or 45 RPM.

For a reference of RPMs and corresponding BPMs see CHAPTER 04 – RELATIONS | BPM and RPM.

What is wavelength?

Wavelength is the length of a wave. In this book we talk about sound waves.

For a reference of wavelengths and corresponding BPMs see CHAPTER 04 – RELATIONS | BPM and wavelength.

BPM and the senses

We can perceive BPM through most of our senses. Our senses are usually divided into five, although this can be viewed differently. Here is an overview in decreasingly standard technique:

Hearing – Perhaps the most obvious way to perceive a BPM is through our ears. We listen to a song or a metronome and hear a tempo. However we cannot register the tempo completely accurate from sound only.

Watching – We can see a BPM by watching a metronome or by reading the tempo written in numbers. Example: 120 BPM. Watching is, as long as the tempo displayed is correct, the most accurate way, as we can see a whole bunch of decimals if desired.

Feeling – We can feel a tap on our skin our read a number in Braille, a system of printing for the blind, using raised dots.

Smelling – Using the nose to sense a BPM would be highly irregular, though very low BPMs might be theoretically possible. The smell would have to be very sharp.

Tasting – Same thing as with smelling.

Telepathy – At this point in time, some people still do not believe in telepathy, so I respectively list it last. Telepathy is considered the only sense that doesn’t have its own organ. Aliens might have antennas though. BPMs, like anything else can be communicated via telepathy.

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illustration

CHAPTER 03 - HISTORY

timelines

BPM timeline

Metronome timeline

Tap-pad timeline

The history of metronomes

The pages of history recording attempts at invention and construction of metronomes, like those for automatic page-turners, are filled with failure and impractical ideas but they do indicate a few successes.

Early attempts

In 1581, Galileo Galilei discovered the isochronism of pendulums, that is, he discovered that pendulums [of any given length] vibrated in the same time, whether the amplitude was large or small.

About a century passed before pendulums were successfully applied to clocks by Christian Huyghens [circa 1659] and George Graham [circa 1715]. The problem solved by them was to develop an escapement, the mechanism for delivering impulses to the pendulum, which will keep it in motion and yet not interfere with its motion. This invention was the key to success for it was promptly used by those labouring in the metronome field.

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Galileo Galilei http://antwrp.gs fc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0110/galileo_sustermans_big.jpg

Christiaan Huygens (Christian Huyghens) http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/science+society/lectures/illustrations/lecture20/huygens.html

In 1696, Etieune Loulie made the first recorded attempt to apply the pendulum to a metronome. His "machine" was merely an adjustable pendulum with calibrations but without an escapement to keep it in motion. He was followed by a line of inventors, including Sauveur, 1711; Enbrayg, 1732; Gabary, 1771; Harrison, 1775; Davaux, 1784; Pelletier, Weiske, 1790; Weber, 1813; Stockel, Zmeskall, Crotch, Smart, 1821. Most of these attempts were unsuccessful owing to the great length of pendulum required to beat some of the low tempos used in music [say 40 to 60 per minute].

In 1812, Dietrik Nikolaus Winkel [b.1780 Amsterdam d. 1826] found that a double weighted pendulum [a weight on each side of the pivot] would beat low tempos, even when made of short length. Johann Nepenuk Maelzel, through some questionable practice, appropriated Winkel's idea and in 1816 started manufacturing "Maelzel's" Metronome. It has been in highly successful use to this day. It is manufactured by Swiss, German, French and American manufacturers who vie with each other for the limited business available.

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George Graham http://home.datacomm.ch/rbu/graham.html

Johann Nepomuk Mälzel http://www.chessbase.de/spotlight/spotlight2.asp?id=11

More recent attempts

In 1894, Hanson produced a metronome consisting of a baton which could be adjusted to beat 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 or 6/8 time by compound motions similar to those of a conductor.

In 1909, White and Hunter produced a pocket metronome having a hand which turned complete revolutions, one revolution to a beat. Its speed was adjustable between 40 and 208 revolutions per minute.

In 1930, a miniature rocking chair, having a vertical baton attached, which is set in motion by hand on any level surface, was placed on the market. A weight on the wand adjusted the tempo. The "beat" was silent.

With the advent of electricity, many types of electrically driven metronomes were developed, some having lights which flashed to mark the beats and also the beginning of the measure, like Morrison, 1936, some merely having a waving wand, like A. M. English, 1937. Some of them were obviously devised by mechanics having little or no knowledge of music or of the manner in which musicians use metronomes.

Another group of inventions covered metronomes designed to beat the rhythm of a few bars of music exactly as written, requiring the setting of some stops as in Fascinato, 1933, the manipulation of some indicators as in Doerfer, 1899, or the punching of some paper dials as in Miessner, 1934.

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About 1900, a Swiss pocket watch metronome was produced, operating exactly like a balance-wheel watch with the modification that it had a geared balance-wheel which could make several revolutions and an adjustable "hair-spring" permitting the 40 to 208 scale adjustment.

As far as is known, the only survivors of all these attempts to produce an accurate, practical and dependable metronome that is acceptable to critical musicians, are the Maelzel types and a few pocket watch types, like the Cadenzia.

Modern metronomes

With the advent of controlled alternating current (A.C.), it had become possible to have clocks, operated by such electricity supply, that do not vary one second in a month or more. This also made possible the invention of the Franz electric metronome (1938). In this metronome a synchronous motor, like those used in electric clocks, drives a tempo beating hammer through a mechanical reduction which is adjustable from 40 to 208. These electro-mechanical units were produced through June, 1994.

In 1977 the Franz pendulum metronome was introduced embodying the first significant improvements in the "Maelzel" type of mechanism. The working parts were suspended in the case in such a way as to allow them to level themselves when the case was placed on a slanted surface thus precluding "limp." A mechanism was provided to prevent accidental jamming of the escapement and an adjustment to compensate any inherent limp due to manufacturing variations. These devices were produced through 1990.

From 1950 to the present time numerous versions of the relaxation oscillator type of electronic circuit have been introduced adapted to the standard tempo range of the metronome.

Early models were the "Metronoma" and "Stamford' electronic metronomes. Later on Seth Thomas, Sabine and Metone in this country. Cadenzia in Switzerland, Metrotone in England and Wittner in Germany introduced metronomes operating on this general principle. The accuracy of these all suffer from the difficulty of compensating the non linearity of this type of circuit over the whole timing range. Obtaining good setting accuracy is also quite hard to achieve.

In the late 1970's digital electronic techniques had developed to the point where it became economically feasible to apply them to the design of a metronome The accuracy has been enhanced by a factor of 10 or more over the best available prior to the use of this type of design. The capacity and low cost of microprocessors has made it possible to add other functions besides beating the standard tempos. Tuning pitches, accented beats and other functions are possible at reasonable cost. Such instruments have been introduced by Wittner in Germany, Seiko in Japan and Franz in the USA, among others.

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caveman drummer illustration

Reference: Certain information on the topic The history of metronomes was found on http://www.franzmfg.com/history.htm. Copyright 1997 Franz Manufacturing Company, Inc.

The first metronomes where developed by classical music composers. Early notes often have M.M. written on them. This is to specify that the tempo is in the Mälzel’s Metronome format. This has since become standard, and is no longer required to specify. Mozart was one of the developers.

The drum is considered the first musical instrument. Imagine a caveman with two sticks. Drums are mainly percussive. Other instruments are mainly melodic. Thus the joke, three musicians and a drummer, is sometimes used to describe a quartet. Try beating the simplest of poly-rhythms to see that it is indeed only a joke!

Poly-rhythms are covered in CHAPTER...

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illustration

CHAPTER 04 - RELATIONS

frequency list

BPM and frequency

Frequency is explained in CHAPTER 02 – BASIC CONCEPTS | What is frequency?

BPM and wavelength

The length of sound waves depends on the speed of sound. Whilst a cycle is the distance from the start of a wave to the end of this wave, the wavelength is the distance between two wave-tops. Cycles and wavelengths are equally long. Wavelength is represented by the character lambda from the Greek alphabet.

Wavelength is explained in CHAPTER 02 – BASIC CONCEPTS | What is wavelength?

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wavelength illustrations http://www.joot.com/dave/writings/articles/entanglement

Whole notesDotted whole notes

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3d illustration

Duplet notesDotted duplet notesTriplet notesDotted triplet notesQuadruplet notesDotted quadruplet notesQuintuplet notesDotted quintuplet notesSextuplet notesDotted sextuplet notesSeptuplet notesDotted septuplet notes

BPM and delay-time

Delay-time is the interval between two hits. 60.000 / BPM = delay-time in ms for whole note. Notes come in the flavours double, whole, quarter, eight, sixteenth, and so on in both directions. Values above double and below sixteenth are considered extreme and are not included in the following listings. We have to set certain limits or the book will become esoteric and fail in its intentions. Reverbs and delays often let you specify timing in ms. It will often yield a nice tighter result to use a delay-time that corresponds to the song’s BPM. A dotted note means the notes length plus half its length. In other words 1,5 or one and a half.

Following is a bunch of tables showing various common [and less common] delay values. We start out with standard whole notes, and continue all the way to dotted septuplets. The tables are arranged on one page for each note value, practical for printing to paper or making a Xerox. Fell free to smack this stuff on your studio walls. It gives a nice impression that you’re really into your work. And you really are, aren’t you? Whilst there are many nice applications that will give you these values, they limit themselves to one BPM at a time. If we where to display these values for more than one BPM at once, the table would take on a kind of three dimensional form. Consider the illustration below to grasp the concept. I have yet to see or script a function for dynamically printing tables, but I’m sure it will come into existence soon. And I’m looking forward to it. In the meantime, here are some static ones.

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delay-time table, range: 090 – 140, measure: whole notes, time-unit: milliseconds, decimals: three

BPM whole half quarter eight sixteenth

090091092093094095096097098099100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120 500 250 125 62.5 31.25121 495.868 247.934 123.967 61.983 30.991122 491.803 245.902123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140

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delay-time table, range: 090 – 140, measure: half notes, time-unit: milliseconds, decimals: three

BPM whole half quarter eight sixteenth

090091092093094095096097098099100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140

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delay-time table, range: 090 – 140, measure: dotted whole notes, time-unit: milliseconds, decimals: three

BPM whole half quarter eight sixteenth

090091092093094095096097098099100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140

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rpm list

BPM and RPM

Rounds per minute is a measure for how many times something revolves in 60 seconds. It’s most famous appearance in music is on vinyl records and turntables. Every other kind of disc spins at an RPM as well. The RPM can be constant or dynamic. If you’re playing a record and reduce the RPM by 50 %, the BPM is halved as well. Also the note of the music is detuned accordingly. However turntables will usually not allow you to do this. The RPMs at hand are 11, 33,3, 45 and 78. Only 33,3 and 45 are common today. 11 + 33,3 = approximately 45. 33,3 + 45 = approximately 78. On some players you can press both 33 and 45 to get 78. DJ decks also have a pitch control.

RPM is explained in CHAPTER 02 – BASIC CONCEPTS | What is RPM?

rpm table

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BPM and signatures

signatures table, range: 090 – 140 at 4/4, signatures: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8/4, decimals: three

1/4 2/4 3/4 4/4 5/4 6/4 7/4 8/4

090 360 720091092093094095096097098099100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120 240 360 480 600 960 840 1920121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138

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139140

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illustration

CHAPTER 05 – SPEEDS

Italian tempi

Whether a music piece has a mathematical time indication or not, in classical music it is customary to describe the tempo of a piece by one or more words. Most of these words are Italian, a result of the fact that many of the most important composers of the 17th century were Italian, and this period was when tempo indications were used extensively for the first time.

Before the metronome, words were the only way to describe the tempo of a composition. Yet after the metronome's invention, these words continued to be used, often additionally indicating the mood of the piece, thus blurring the traditional distinction between tempo and mood indicators. For example, "presto" and "allegro" both indicate a speedy execution ["presto" being faster], but "allegro" has more of a connotation of joy [seen its original meaning in Italian], while "presto" rather indicates speed as such [with possibly an additional connotation of virtuosity]. [Presto did not acquire this connotation until the late 18th century.]

Additional Italian words also indicate tempo and mood. For example, the "agitato" in the Allegro agitato of the last movement of George Gershwin's piano concerto in F has both a tempo indication [undoubtedly faster than a usual "Allegro"] and a mood indication ["agitated"].

The Italian tempi notations used in classical music are more than just speeds, the say something about the feeling. There does not seem to be a definitive agreement on the standard, but here follows a table, as good as any.

Basic tempo markings

The most common tempo markings in Italian are:

Largo - slowly and broadlyAdagio - slowlyLento - "slow" but usually only moderately soAndante - at a walking paceModerato - at a moderate tempoAllegretto - "a little allegro", understood to be not quite as fast as allegroAllegro - quicklyPresto - fast

Common qualifiers

non troppo - not too much; e.g. Allegro non troppo (or Allegro ma non troppo) means "Fast, but not too fast."molto - very, as in Allegro moltopoco - slightly, as in Poco Adagio

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Various diminutive suffixes in Italian have been used, in addition to Allegretto: Andantino, Larghetto, Adagietto, as well as superlatives such as Larghissimo, Prestissimo.

Mood markings with a tempo connotation

Some markings that primarily mark a mood [or character] also have a tempo connotation:

Vivace - lively [which generally indicates a rather fast movement]Maestoso - majestic or stately [which is generally a solemn slow movement]

Terms for change in tempo

There is also a set of terms that are used to designate a change of tempo:

Accelerando - speeding up [abbreviation: accel.]Meno Mosso - less movement or slowerPiù Mosso - more movement or fasterRallentando - slowing down [abbreviation: rall.]Ritardando - slowing down [abbreviation: rit.]Ritenuto - slightly slower

These generally designate a gradual change in tempo; for immediate tempo shifts, composers normally just provide the designation for the new tempo. There is also:

A tempo - return to the previous tempo after change(s); andTempo I - often at the beginning of a new section of a piece, denotes a return to the piece's original tempo.

These terms also indicate an immediate, not a gradual, tempo change. Composers typically use these terms for tempo change even if they have written their initial tempo marking in some other language.

More complex and less precise (though vital in many composers' music) is:

Rubato - free adjustment of tempo for expressive purposes

French tempi

French baroque composers such as for example François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau used French tempo indications.

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Common tempo markings in French are:Grave - slowly and solemnlyLent - slowlyModéré - at a moderate tempoVif - livelyVite – fast

German tempi

Many composers have used German tempo markings.

Typical German tempo markings are:Langsam - slowlyMäßig - moderatelyLebhaft - lively (mood)Rasch - quicklySchnell – fast

One of the first German composers to use tempo markings in his native language was Ludwig van Beethoven. The one using the most elaborate combined tempo and mood markings was probably Gustav Mahler (sometimes even mixing German with Italian tempo indications): e.g. 2nd movement of his 9th symphony: Im tempo eines gemächlichen Ländlers, etwas täppisch und sehr derb, indicating a folk-dance-like movement, with some vulgarity in the execution.

English tempi

English indications, for example quickly, have also been used, by Benjamin Britten, amongst many others. In jazz and popular music charts, terms like "fast", "laid back", "steady rock", "medium", "medium-up", "ballad", and similar style indications.

Musical genres

Here follows an attempt at a break-down of musical genres and their most common tempi. The list is divided into electronic and rock.

Electronic genres070 – 110 hip hop

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speeds table

disco110 – 140 house120 – 200 techno140 – 300 jungle120 – 200 drum and bass200 – 300 gabber200 – 300 speedcore

Rock genres

070 – 090 reggaerockpopjazzblues

Human expressions

Very fastfast

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illustration

CHAPTER 06 - ARCHIVES

BPM databases

There are some BPM listings around the web, but the only real database I’ve found is BPMdb at http://bpmdatabase.com. It is a funky attempt at compiling the worlds BPMs into a dynamic user-driven database. It’s written in php, one of my favourite languages. Definitely my favourite dynamic server side language. You can look up a BPM with a link like this: http://bpmdatabase.com/search.php?bpm=120. At the time of printing this book the number of BPMs included is 23.000. A good start, but very little compared to the amount of songs released on record. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you, the reader, to contribute. Get taping! The site has nice statistics, showing the submitted BPM’s of today, yesterday, this week, last week and a total. It is searchable by artist, title, mix, BPM and label. I would like to see the complete list, but the ‘leave all fields blank and press search’ trick doesn’t work here. Whilst I appreciate the simplicity and minimalism of bpmdatabase.com, I do also envision an expansion in this area. For instance links to labels and artists, notes about tempo changes and such and support for registering and setting up a profile. This way we could hope to see a popularity increase and people would submit more BPMs and ‘compete’ against each other both in multitude and accuracy. I’ve tried to contact the scripter / maintainer, but to no luck. I hope you are ok with me writing about your project in this book!

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BPM listings

Some physical BPM listings are also known to exist. They are not very available though.

Music Doctor’s Master Mixing BPM Song Catalog http://themusicdoctor.com/bpm

Examples

Following is a short listing. It shows the BPMs of two of my favourite punk bands, The Ramones and The Misfits.

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The Ramones http://ramones.com

The Misfits http://misfits.com

album: Walk Among Usyear: 1982

track song title bpm time

01 20 Eyes 129,1 01:4702 I Turned Into A Martian 123,4 01:4203 All Hell Breaks Loose 157,5 01:4804 Vampira 110,3 01:2705 Nike A Go Go 122,2 02:1506 Hatebreeders 106,5 03:0707 Mommy Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight [Live] 02:0008 Night Of The Living Dead 104,3 01:5909 Skulls 109,3 02:0110 Violent World 108,7 01:4711 Devils Whorehouse 111,7 01:4512 Astro Zombies 106,8 02:1513 Braineaters 187,1 00:57

album: Legacy Of Brutalityyear: 1985

track song title bpm time

01 Static Age 01:4702 TV Casualty 02:3403 Hybrid Moments 01:3904 Spinal Remains 01:2405 Come Back 05:0006 Some Kinda Hate 02:0807 Theme For A Jackal 02:3708 Angelfuck 01:3409 Who Killed Marilyn 01:3510 Where Eagles Dare 01:5811 Halloween 01:4612 American Nightmare 01:42

album: Static Ageyear: 1995

track song title bpm time

010203040506070809101112

album: American Psychoyear: 1997

track song title bpm time

010203040506070809101112

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album: Famous Monstersyear: 1999

track song title bpm time

010203040506070809101112

album: Project 1950year: 2003

track song title bpm time

010203040506070809101112

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World records

Guiness Book Of World Records.

Moby 1000 bpm.

Fastest rap

Ricky Brown (USA) rapped 723 syllables in 51.27 seconds on his track "No Clue" at B&G Studios, Seattle, Washington, USA, on January 15, 2005.

Fastest yodel

The fastest yodel was 22 tones (15 falsetto) in one second on February 9, 1992, by Thomas Scholl of Munich, Germany.

Fastest drummer

http://guinnessworldrecords.com

illustration

CHAPTER 07 - MEASUREMENT

How to measure BPM

Automatic

Examples: Native Instruments Traktor.

Manual

Examples:

Semi-automatic

Examples: Sony Acid.

Reading

The fourth method is not measurement.

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illustration

CHAPTER 08 – FURTHER READING

Wrong BPMs

When reading BPMs off a record sleeve or labels, do not take for granted that they are correct. Just look at the lyrics on records too. They are just about never right. It doesn’t seem to matter how big, famous, rich or professional the artist is, they lyrics are just about always pretty far off. Common reasons for getting the BPM wrong include:

1 – Something went wrong after the song was finished. That is somewhere in the mastering or transferring process. A tape was played slightly too slow or fast, resulting in a small speed error and thus also a small BPM error.

2 – The producer or producers have a bpm specified in the tracker or sequencer and think they are working in this BPM, but in reality they are working with samples in a different BPM. Check your BPM’s before you release your mixes!

3 – If the layout or system in which you are to enter your BPM’s do not allow decimals and some of your tracks are in ,5 BPM remember to round up, not down. This is a general mathematical standard. Individuals not vary of this may have erroneously rounded down.

4 – Someone may have made a simple spelling mistake. When writing by hand, write clearly, so that other people will be able to read it.

5 – Using a faulty tap-pad or metronome is yet another bullet-proof way to get wrong values.

The word of advice is to check your BPM’s and then double check. Use both automatic and manual methods. Confront the artist if appropriate.

Default BPMs

The world wide accepted standard is 120. Why? Because there are 60 seconds in a minute and two beat each second is a fine mid-tempo value. Every application with a default BPM use 120. Some applications allow you change the default BPM. For instance Steinberg Cubase. If you find yourself constantly working around, say, 140, go ahead, change it to 140. If you’re a dedicated hip-hop beat-maker, you’ll probably want it lowered to somewhere around 95.

Accuracy

How many decimals do we need? How important is this?

How to check a metronome – timing the timer

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Metronome accuracy table

Obviously, to check a metronome, the first requirement is an accurate standard. Perhaps the most accurate standard commonly available when this treatise was first published, was the electric clock with a sweep second hand, which runs on an A.C. [Alternating Current] electricity supply. Even more accurate is a quartz electronic wristwatch with a stop-watch feature.

Some musicians check their metronome at 60 because it is easy to do so. Accurate operation at 60 does not imply accuracy throughout the scale. Metronomes should be checked at not less than four points, say 40, 60, 120 and 208.

In checking a metronome, the common and correct method is to count 1,2,3,4,5 and so on with its beats, for a period of one minute and compare the count with the metronome setting. However a warning is necessary. When the clock hand crosses the starting line and the metronome beats, do not count "1." At this instant, count "zero," or "start." The next beat is 1. This is because the final count is made when the hand again crosses the starting line. Counting beats both times would erroneously add a beat to the correct speed. This detail has been explained at length because it differs from the counting of musicians who have been trained to count by numbering the beginning of each interval.

When the error is 1% or less at all settings the instrument is highly accurate. If the error runs to 3% at some settings the accuracy is fair. If the error is 5 to 10% at any setting the instrument is very poor. If the error is 10 to 15% at any setting the instrument is worthless as a standard of tempo.

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Uniformity

There is no way to check uniformity of beat without a chronograph. However, some instruments are so lacking in uniformity that even an untrained ear can detect a "limp," or a sporadic irregularity. Such instruments should be exchanged for good ones. Uniformity is seldom an issue with quartz electronic metronomes. Keywound metronomes are most often prone to "limping".

A metronome may be uniform and not accurate. That is, the instrument may be so uniform that precisely the same time interval elapses between any successive beats, yet instead of beating say 104 when set there, it may beat 112 or 96. Such an instrument would not be useful for the work described in this Chapter. However, it would still be useful for the work described in Chapter II.

A metronome cannot be non-uniform and accurate. If the time between beats is irregular the number of beats per minute is only an average.

Reference: Certain information on the topic How to check a metronome was found on http://www.franzmfg.com/accuracy.htm. Limits of accuracy illustration was found on http://www.franzmfg.com/accuracy.htm.

Decimals

Standards are zero, three or unlimited. Any number is possible though. Of course the more decimals, the higher the accuracy.

Compatible BPMs

A doubling or halving of the tempo gives what I refer to as compatible BPM’s. For example 60, 120 and 240.

Suggested use of BPM

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automation illustration

Including BPM on record sleeves, labels, web-sites and so on makes it easier for DJs to include your music in their sets and is an indication of you caring about such things as mixability and dance-floors. I list all tracks that I’ve released or played on and so forth on my web-site in sortable tables and one of the columns is BPM, even though my music usually isn’t typical dance music. I like to be able to sort tunes by tempo as well as song-length, title, year of release, etc. I like information and I like fun interfaces with many possibilities.

The pros and cons of BPM

Some people dig BPM, others don’t. I’ve had people not wanting to buy my records because it had BPM’s on the labels. They didn’t even want to give it a listen. You don’t need to care about BPM to enjoy or make music. Don’t go on about BPM to people who don’t care about it. Several great bands never use BPM’s, metronomes, click-tracks or anything of the kind This makes the music less mixable and less dance-floor friendly, but not necessarily less good.

Ritterando and accelerando

Slowing down and speeding up. A short ritterando at the end of a song is very common. It is common for inexperienced drummers to speed up during a song. Especially when they get excited. Certain sophisticated applications have support for dynamic BPM. Steinberg Cubase has particularly advanced BPM automation functionality. Tempo curves can be linear, concave or convex. Just like volume curves.

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Formulas

63

ID3v2 logo

BPM in tags

Most digital media files, including MP3 files, use ID3 tags. They were developed in 1996 by Eric Kemp and at that time simply meant IDentify an MP3. ID3 v1 lacked BPM fields. Use the comment fields if appropriate. ID3 v2 have BPM fields. The BPM field is frame number 4.2.3 and has the name TBPM. It is described like this in the official specifications: The 'BPM' frame contains the number of beats per minute in the main part of the audio. The BPM is an integer and represented as a numerical string. See http://id3.org.

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tracker illustration

Illustrating BPM

I’ve come up with a couple of ways to display BPM graphically.

Tracker style

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clock illustration

metronome illustration

speedometer illustration

Clock style

Metronome style

Speedometer style

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BPM ranges and why limit?

A common range is 60 to 300. Reasons for limiting are:

1 – Too low values result in very little action. Users may think that there is something wrong with the software or hardware.

2 – Too high values may result in a very heavy workload for the computer. This can result in a hang, or crash at worst.

3 – Specifying certain limits in applications, both regarding BPM and other values, is a general practice that gives the user an idea of what are normal values for the parameter in question and reduces the chance for issues and bugs.

Many applications allow for customizing of the BPM range. You cannot always turn of the range completely. In other words there is a range for the range. On hardware metronomes there is a logical physical range limited by the machinery itself and usually also a forced limit set by the manufacturer to avoid inaccuracy. The highest BPM value allowed is called the ceiling. The lowest BPM value allowed is called the floor. BPM ceiling - BPM floor = BPM range. Example: 300 BPM - 60 BPM = 240 BPM.

Most common BPM

By most common BPM I mean the value or values that appear the most times in a taping session. This value has a high probability of being the actual BPM of the song.

Current BPM

The current values of a taping session will usually be a little erratic. It is limited how accurate a human can tap.

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taping session illustration

Average BPM

The average values of a taping session will usually be much flatter than the current values.

The future of BPM

What will the future bring to BPM? Not a lot I think. BPM is a rather limited science. BPM databases will get bigger and better. That’s about it.

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How to practice and memorize

Like someone who practices for perfect pitch will start out by repeating a reference tone, usually A 440 Hz, day out and day in, and then expanding up and down after this is memorized, someone who practices for perfect timing usually start out with the default 120 and then expand up and down after this is memorized. Take breaks to keep sanity!

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illustration

CHAPTER 09 - METRONOMES

Hardware

In this chapter we’ll have a look at physical metronomes. They are sorted by vendor. For sub sorting, we start with the simplest and cheapest and work our way to the most complex and advanced models money can buy. Certain models cross over into other product categories as clocks, tap-pads and drum-machines. And animal figures! For even more details you’ll need to check with the respective companies, as this is book is not the metronome catalogue.

Analogue

WittnerWittner Animal Metronome - PenguinRange: 040 – 208

Wittner Animal Metronome - CatRange: 040 – 208

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Wittner PiccoloRange: 040 - 208

Wittner Pyramid MaelzelRange: 040 – 208

Wittner Super-MiniRange: 040 - 208

Yamaha

Yamaha QT1Range: 040 - 208

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Yamaha QT1BRange: 040 – 208

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Digital

Wittner

MT-41Range: 030 - 250Headphone jack: yesTuner: reference note A 440 HzAuto power-off: no?Tap: no?Display: yesList price: $29.99Decimals: no?Released: ?Stand mount: no?Size: 93 x 59 x 15 mmWeight: ?Colors: blueMaterials: mostly plasticAccuracy: ±0.03%

Volume control: no?

MT-70Range: 040 - 216Headphone jack: yesTuner: B2–C6Auto power-off: no?Tap: no?Display: yesList price: $29.99Decimals: no?Released: ?Stand mount: no?

Size: 145 x 72 x 35 mmWeight: ?Colors: blueMaterials: mostly plasticAccuracy: ±0.02%Volume control: yes

Boss

Boss DB-12 Dr.BeatRange: ?Headphone jack: yesTuner: yes, C4 to B4Auto power-off: yesTap: yesDisplay: yesList price: $79.00Decimals: noReleased: ?Stand mount: noSize: ?Weight: ?Colors: blueMaterials: mostly plastic

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Boss DB-30 Dr.Beat

Boss DB-60 Dr.Beat

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BOSS Dr.Beat DB-88

BOSS Dr.Beat DB-90

Tama Rhythm Watch RW100

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Korg

Korg KDM1

Korg MA30

Korg MM1 Metro-Gnome

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MM2

Sabine

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Sabine Zipbeat

Matrix

Matrix MR-500

Matrix MR-600

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Qwick Time

QT3

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QT7

Seiko

Cherub

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Software

Open source

Closed source

illustration

CHAPTER 10 – TAP-PADS

Hardware

Analogue

Digital

Software

Open source

Closed source

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CHAPTER 11 - HEART BEAT

BPM use in health and training

In Renaissance music most music was understood to flow at a tempo defined by the tactus, roughly the rate of the human heartbeat. Which note value corresponded to the tactus was indicated by the mensural time signature.

In Trance music it is a commonly used trick to start out a set at the rate of the human heartbeat and slowly increase the BPM, thus also increasing the heart-rate of the dancing audience.

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CHAPTER 12 - TRANSLATION

BPM in other languages

Metronome in other languages

Tap-pad in other languages

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INDEX

A

accuracyaccelerandoaverage BPM

B

beatsBPM, beats per minute

C

Cadenziacompatible BPMscurrent BPM

D

databasesdecimalsdefault BPMsdelay-timedoted notesduplets

E

F

formulasFranzFrequency

G

Galilei, Galileo

Graham, Georgegenres

H

healthheart beatHertzHuyghens, Christian

I

illustrating BPMItalian tempi

J

K

L

limitinglistingsLoulie, Etieune

M

Maelzel, Johann NepenukmeasuringmetronomeMetrotoneminutemost common BPMmusic

N

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O

P

perpoly-rhythmspracticing and memorizingpros and cons of BPM

Q

quartzquadrupletsquintuplets

R

rangesritterandoRPM, rounds per minute

S

Sabine and MetoneSeikosecondsequencersseptupletssextupletssoftwaresoundsignature

T

tagstap-padthe future of BPMtimetimelinestrainingtranslation

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triplets

U

V

W

wave-lengthWhite and HunterWittnerworld recordswrong BPMs

X

Y

Z

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“The Science Of BPM” explores every aspect of the beats per minute practice, and attempts to broaden the reader’s understanding, by covering such diverse topics as metronomes, time, frequency, sound, music, RPM, wavelength, signatures, language, genres, measurement, ranges, databases, taping and applications. It is richly illustrated, and includes numerous tables, highly handy to any producer or musician. This book seems to be the only one of its kind, and as such should easily fit nicely in any studio’s bookshelf.

Reader level: Beginning to advanced.

Shelving category: Music theory.