BPM by genre

Typical ranges

The table below shows where most tracks in each genre cluster. Treat it as a centre of gravity rather than a rule.

Why the same number feels different

Drum and bass sits at 170 BPM and does not feel fast, because the snare lands every other beat and the body follows that half-time pulse of about 85. Hip hop does the opposite: a 90 BPM track feels quick because the hats are subdividing into sixteenths.

So tempo alone tells you very little about a track's character. What matters is the number together with how the beats are filled. The same applies in the practice room: preparing a 170 BPM track often really means building a solid backbeat at 85.

Using the table

When writing or arranging, take a starting point from the table and adjust in steps of five as the track takes shape. The same chord progression at 118 and at 124 can sound like two different songs.

For learning covers, skip the table and measure the original with the tap tempo tool instead. Then work at ten to fifteen percent below the original until the part is finished, and only then take it up to speed. Starting at full speed hides your own inaccuracies from you.

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