Beats per minute (BPM) quantifies the tempo of a musical piece, representing the number of beats occurring within a minute. In the context of music analysis, this metric provides a concrete, measurable value for the pace of a song. For example, a BPM of 120 indicates a faster tempo than a BPM of 60.
Tempo significantly influences the perceived mood and energy of a song. A faster tempo can evoke excitement and energy, while a slower tempo typically conveys a sense of relaxation or melancholy. Accurate determination of this rate is vital for DJs, music producers, and anyone interested in the formal analysis of musical pieces, aiding in mixing, remixing, and arrangement. Historically, its calculation was often approximate, reliant on manual timing; modern tools, however, provide precise measurements.