Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tempo

At what tempo should I play the Maple Leaf Rag?

Maximian — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:43:33 -0800

Suggested tempos for Joplin's piano rags? When I was about 16, I learned to play the Maple Leaf Rag, at a fairly fast tempo, about eighth note = 190 on the metronome. I played it in front of an expert organist and pianist, and he said I was playing it "much too fast". Being a teenager, I ignored the advice of my elders.

Fast-forward 12 years, during which I played little piano. Eventually, seeking to recover my piano skills, I check out a book of Joplin's rags from the local music library. The preface (written by Joplin himself, if memory serves) admonishes the student never to play fast. No tempos are given in any of my scores. Three different recordings of the Maple Leaf I've listened to have the tempo somewhat above 180. However, I play the Gladiolus rag at 116, or even a little slower, and it sounds great. This matches at least one recording I have. Another recording I've heard, of the Magnetic Rag (which I'm currently learning), is perhaps even slower than that.

So, what is the "correct" tempo for the Maple Leaf? Do pianists play this and other rags at different tempos for different effects? What did Joplin mean by "ragtime is never to be played fast"? I'm currently retraining my fingers to play the Maple Leaf at 144, but is this too slow?

As a bonus question, my score for Joseph Lamb's "Ragtime Nightingale" indicates "Slow March", but I have no idea what that translates to on the metronome. What tempo should this be?

How to physically speed up MP3s for CD burning?

querty — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:28:05 -0800

How can I speed up the tempo of some MP3 files and burn them onto a CD for faster playback? For audio books / podcasts, I play them in Winamp with the Pacemaker plugin setting the tempo 20% ~ 30% faster as I can comprehend much faster speaking.

How can I do this for off-computer use? Specifically, make an MP3 disc to play in my car. I'm sure the MP3 file would have to be physically altered before it is burned onto a CD, so what tools are out there that will do this?

Here is one answer I found on the Winamp forum but it is not a viable solution because some the audio books I have are over 12 hours long.

That's not logical

god particle — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:31:52 -0800

In Logic 8, when I try to import an audio (aif) file exported from Ableton Live, Logic slows down the audio file significantly. The track from Ableton Live was at 160bpm, and even when I set Logic's project tempo to 160bpm, the audio file plays back at less than half that tempo. I feel like I'm overlooking something really obvious, but I'm having trouble finding the solution anywhere. How do I import the audio file without Logic messing things up?

PDA that can play MP3 and adjust its tempo on-the-fly?

irv4oh — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:19:10 -0800

Is there a PDA that can play an MP3 file and adjust its tempo during playback? Or, is there software for a PDA platform (Windows Mobile or Palm) that can do this? I'm looking for a PDA that can playback lecture recordings that are MP3 format and that can speed them up or slow them down on-the-fly. A bookmarking feature for the MP3's would be nice also.

Fast, Dramatic, Sinister music?

Phyltre — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:22:17 -0800

In search of: dramatic, sinister, or fast music. Disastrous, villainous, swift and dexter melodies best set to chaos, tragedy, or discovery. You know, the sort of music that sounds evil played on a church organ. Some of you may remember from a previous question that I have inexplicable reactions to certain music, and I'm trying to explore that by playlisting my music into the emotions they cause me to have. Once upon a time there was a program/community called Moodlogic that might have helped, but it's long since defunct. So, to better communicate what I mean by the three categories here:

--
Fast (beat or, preferably, note progression): Fast notes. Simple.

Sinister : Probably equal parts sinister and somber/sad, or--even better--songs that vacillate between bright moments and very ominous ones. Think Chopin's Raindrop Prelude. (Listen via Youtube here)

Dramatic : Harder to put into words, so I found as an example a remixed version of such a song that's legally available for download/listening. (Although I don't much care for the instrumentation here; it sounds much better on a church organ): Dancing Mad
--

I'd prefer suggestions sans lyrics, but of course rules are made to be broken. Extra points to more "classical" forms of music, a la piano or--pleasepleaseplease--church organ. Together we can build a writhing tempest of a playlist!

Portable MP3 Player with Tempo Control?

irv4oh — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:37:09 -0800

Is there a portable mp3 player that can adjust tempo during playback without affecting pitch?

Where can I find bpm databases?

ageispolis — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:29:45 -0800

On the prowl for online databases that list BPMs of popular music. When remixing and sampling popular music, it's handy to know the BPM of the song you're working with. This askmefi question solves that problem by providing software that can analyze songs and determine the BPM automatically. However, I am not getting the accuracy I need to synchronize and layer material. Tap Tempo sometimes works as you tap the tempo manually, however, for some songs this can be a struggle for accuracy (especially when the tempo has decimals in it).

With all that out of the way, I am looking for databases, archives, text files, forum threads, or anything that lists a large selection of songs with their respective BPMs.

This particular thread offers a ton of hip-hop BPM's which is perfect for when you have the vocal track of a popular rap song and you want to create a mash-up or whatever your remixing heart desires.

Other than that, the only real resource I've found is the BPM Database which doesn't have a whole lot yet, although it's been helpful in one or two occasions.

Obviously it's difficult to find a comprehensive list of the BPM of every song in the history of popular music but the more resources bookmarked the better. Thanks for your help.

Help an iTunes newbie

I_Love_Bananas — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 12:25:14 -0800

iTunes newbieFilter: Can I search iTunes in some kind of "more like this" format to find songs with a similar bpm/tempo to a specific song? I got an iPod for Christmas and have begun to download songs. I've found so far that I pretty much hate the iTunes interface.

I have gotten frustrated every time it won't lead me where I think I should go, or give me the help I'd like to have. Perhaps I'm ignorant or haven't read the manual. But I can't find a manual.

Anyway-

I want to find music for running. I have some songs I love to run to, as they are just the right tempo and help me keep going. How can I get iTunes to help me find more songs that fit this category?

For example- one such song is Tom Petty's "Running Down a Dream." Another is "You Can't Stop the Beat" from the musical "Hairspray." Not much in common there. Traditional means of linking (artist, genre, subject matter) don't provide anything of value.

How can I get "more like this" out of iTunes? (Or, if it's not capable of doing that, where else could I look?)

sudden tempo change in "willow weep for me"

grumblebee — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 02:37:59 -0800

I once heard a radio program (probably on NPR or the BBC) about the song "Willow Weep for Me." They claimed it was an extraordinary song for two reasons: it was written by a woman (rare in 1932) and there was striking tempo change in the middle of the song. However, in most recordings, the musicians skip the tempo change. But on the show I listened to, they played a rare recoding that featured the change. I want that recording. I'm not a musician, so I don't know how to notate the change, but it goes like this:

[Normal, slow tempo]
Willow weep for me
Willow weep for me
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
[Fast tempo] Listen to my plea
[Normal Slow tempo]Hear me willow and weep for me

It gets fast for just one line.

I actually bought every version on iTunes, and only one featured the change, but that one made it much more subtle (not as fast) than the version I heard on the radio, in which it was truly startling.

I don't care about finding THAT version -- which, I think, was instrumental only -- but I would like to find A version with the tempo change.

Believe it or not, this could be a life or death question

TedW — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 18:37:17 -0800

What are some catchy, popular songs that have a tempo of about 100 beats per minute? Why is this health-related? That's why there's... I help teach CPR (specifically ACLS and BLS for those in the know) at the medical school where I work. The latest (2005) American Heart Association guidelines specify a rate of 100 compressions/minute when doing CPR on all patients. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to do compressions while humming to the beat of a familiar song. One good choice is "Another One Bites The Dust"; however, given the emerging practice of having family members present during resuscitation, it might be inappropriate at times. "Onward Christian Soldiers" is another song with a similar tempo that might also be inappropriate at times. So what are some other songs with this tempo that people delivering CPR can use to pace their compressions? The best answers will find their way into our training. Thanks in advance.

Suggestions for songs to run to

Rash — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 16:18:17 -0800

Seeking some specific work-out music. The type or vintage is unimportant; what I need is songs which exactly match my running tempo. Over the years, I've filled four tapes with these matches, but I'm always seeking more. I run on the treadmill, at 6 miles an hour. I think my beats-per-minute is about a hundred but I get really confused trying to measure this (IANA Trained Musician).

Here's some examples of what works:
Classic -- "Surfin USA" "Fun Fun Fun" "Shut Down" and even "Good Vibrations" by the B Boys, "The Night Before" and "Tell Me Why" from the Beatles' movies, and "Jailhouse Rock."
Middle era -- "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople, "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin, "Dream On" by Aerosmith, "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling and "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls. (Also Pink Floyd's "On The Run.")
Current: "Mission Creep" by Massive Attack, "Loser" by Beck and "Yoshino vs. the Robots" by the Flaming Lips.

I used to have access to a dubbing cassette deck with an all-important "pitch" knob, which allowed for tempo-tweaking of the near-fits, but alas (and since I've resisted the movement towards Stereo-Computer convergance, any suggestions concerning software which adjusts MP3s isn't relevant).

Slow songs with fast spurts (and vice versa)

yankeefog — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 13:31:05 -0800

What (preferably good) songs shift back and forth between fast and slow? I'm trying to put together an iPod playlist for a workout that goes back and forth between slow, steady jogging and spurts of sprinting. (Yeah, I know--I could just alternate slow songs and fast songs--but then the tempo would only shift every 3 minutes or so.) All genres are welcome, although I have a slight bias towards either jazz/swing or indie rock for this particular mix.

How do I slow down sound playback without changing its pitch?

KevinSkomsvold — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 12:37:21 -0800

I'm looking for a software that will allow me to take a passage of music and slow it down but not change the pitch. [more inside] The main problem I'm having with the software I've used, is that when it slows the music down, its distorted (almost a flanging/phasing type effect) and doesn't allow me to pick out the part I'm trying to learn (this is for some particularly difficult guitar solos that I have to learn). What software would my fellow Mefites recommend. I've tried SlowGold and Guitar/Drum Trainer 2 but both suck. The new Windows Media Player allows this too but not as flexible.

Help improving sense of rhythm

Stan Chin — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 07:40:34 -0800

I'm pretty good at visual things. Heck, it's my job. However, the more and more I get into multimedia, the more concerns I have about my musical ability. I've never cared about it until now (don't dance either), but now I realize that having a sense of rhythm or tempo could really help my work. How do I even begin improving my aural and timing skills? Do I have to go find Kevin Bacon and get footloose? I'm also that guy at concerts who screws up when the band asks the audience to clap along. *clap clap clap... clap* shit! ah.. *clapclapclap*

What is the current best freeware audio editing application?

gnz2001 — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 13:17:02 -0800

What is the current best freeware audio editing application? The specific need is for ripping a cd, then playing it back slower without altering the key.