Finding songs with a similar beat

July 18, 2006 2:12 PM

Please help me find songs that fit my running pace!

I know certain songs just "feel right" for me when I am running- the beat fits my pace and it's just more fun.

Is this possible from any site or other service: I give an example of a song and I get returned a list of songs that will have the same beat/tempo/speed/overall feel? Or could possible download said songs?

I put forth Tom Petty"s "Running Down a Dream" as my current song of choice. Sometimes I replay it 4-5 times in a row because nothing else works.

posted by I_Love_Bananas to media & arts (18 comments total)

There is a podcast, available on iTunes, that has a great running set. I don't recall the name, but a quick iTunes podcast directory search for running will find it. The artist name is dj-somethingorother.
posted by k8t at 2:15 PM on July 18, 2006

Previously.. check out that link to DJ Prince's site.
posted by Addlepated at 2:19 PM on July 18, 2006

I_Love_Bananas said:
"Is this possible from any site or other service: I give an example of a song and I get returned a list of songs that will have the same beat/tempo/speed/overall feel? Or could possible download said songs?"

You pretty much described Pandora to a tee.
posted by blister at 2:20 PM on July 18, 2006

The podcast k8t is talking about is called "Podrunner". It's nice, each workout is at a specific "beats per minute." I've worked out which ones work best for me, and now I have a couple hours of generic dance music to run to.
posted by web-goddess at 2:34 PM on July 18, 2006

Depending on your taste in music, you might also find selections that interest you at Digitally Imported's MP3 Store.

Personally, I've found that DI's Eurodance and Hard Dance channels provide the pace I want for my cardiovascular workouts.
posted by NYCinephile at 2:48 PM on July 18, 2006

BLISTER: Thank you for introducing me to Pandora. Holy crap do i love it!
posted by indiebass at 2:58 PM on July 18, 2006

For what it's worth, that Tom Petty song has a tempo of 170 beats per minute (BPM).
posted by persona non grata at 3:18 PM on July 18, 2006

Here's a handy tool to calculate the BPM of a song you're listening to by tapping your keyboard to the beat.
posted by staggernation at 3:26 PM on July 18, 2006

My list has gotten even better, baby. If you do 8.5 - 9.5 minutes a mile, this shit is what you want:

Little Girl, Death from Above 1979
Positive Tension (Blackbox Remix), Bloc Party
The Sounds of Loving Static, Mobius Band
B Like Me (Club Mix), Smooth & J & Alex Peace
This is the Dream of Evan and Chan (Superpitcher remix), Dntel

These are around 160bpm. The last two are around 120, but I usually sprint to these so its double timed.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 4:09 PM on July 18, 2006

Forget manually calculating the BPM...input your mp3s into the Mixmeister B(eats)P(er)M(inute) analyzer and it will do the calculations for you. Then sort your mp3s by BPM, find the track/s that you like to run to, and then find out what songs share the same beat. Very simple.
posted by apple scruff at 4:55 PM on July 18, 2006 [1 favorite]

Check out the Nike+iTunes section of iTunes. They have some readymade running mixes.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:31 PM on July 18, 2006

persona non grata writes "For what it's worth, that Tom Petty song has a tempo of 170 beats per minute (BPM)."

I seriously doubt that. I don't know the song--and am willing to be corrected upon hearing it--but it's much more likely to be 85 BPM. 170 BPM is thrash metal time.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:52 PM on July 18, 2006

Maybe I've overlooked a previous mention of this site (I think I heard about it first here) but dj steveboy gives you a selection of playlists--some at 130 bpm, on thru 175 bpm--



I like it because I like peppy music for driving around for work, but there is a selection available.

HTH
posted by gg at 7:54 PM on July 18, 2006

Oh. And if you figure out what your running time is (probably best to work it based on your feet hitting the pavement == BPM), you can actually take anything and re-jig the tempo to the right BPM using Sony ACiD.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:54 PM on July 18, 2006

Well, I didn't do the link right--it's www.djsteveboy.com/mixes.html
posted by gg at 7:55 PM on July 18, 2006

It's pretty tough to find songs that will perfectly fit your running speed. Find one and figure out the beats per minute of that song, then use a program to take other songs you like and adjust the beats per minute to match. (I use Audacity). It takes a little time to figure out each step of the process, but it works perfectly.
posted by kdern at 8:37 PM on July 18, 2006

OK, dirtynumbangelboy, 85 to the half rather than 170 to the quarter. I am sure you are correct and the score reads in a slow cut time. ;-)
posted by persona non grata at 1:54 AM on July 19, 2006

No, persona, it's be 85 to the quarter--that's what BPM refers to. I just can't imagine Tom Petty writing or singing anything at 170.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:51 AM on July 19, 2006