Magic tempos

[wally joe]

I'm not a drummer but a programmer/songwriter. I'm wondering if there are "tempo zones," such as 142-145 bpm, 112-115 bpm, etc., that are "right" for various types of music. By "right," I mean that it feels right. And by "various types of music," I'm referring to popular radio music, which can be anything from pop, pop/rock, rock, lite rock, dance, r&b, etc.

 

I pose this question from the perspective of a songwriter.

[k1neta]

I know this won't help you much, but I find the song itself usually dictates the tempo, not the genre. Especially in a band setting, you "know it" when you've found the right tempo.

 

Kenneth

[sidereal]

If you're a programmer, you've got some way to generate bpm. Just listen to a song with the feel you're going for and tap tempo on your programming machine along with the song. In my opinion, it's too broad a question, but someone else might tell you different.

[Gaddabout]

Originally posted by wally joe:

I'm not a drummer but a programmer/songwriter. I'm wondering if there are "tempo zones," such as 142-145 bpm, 112-115 bpm, etc., that are "right" for various types of music. By "right," I mean that it feels right. And by "various types of music," I'm referring to popular radio music, which can be anything from pop, pop/rock, rock, lite rock, dance, r&b, etc.

 

I pose this question from the perspective of a songwriter.

 

Consider that "march time" is about 116 to 124 bpm. There aren't too many pop songs that will work well in excess of 144 bpm, because it can become difficult to dance to. Like all music, there are exceptions. For example, if the drummer and bassist play half-time over fast straight-time song, tempos can be in excess of 188 bpm for dance songs.

 

For most R&B and funk, the magic pocket for my ears rests somewhere between 100 and 112 bpm.

 

If you're not writing for a dancing audience, it's all how you feel, right?

[Passeist]

My theory, for what it's worth.

Below 60 bpm: Tired, lethargic, bored, jaded. Listen to Iggy Pop's "Night Clubbing" for an example.

60 to 90 bpm: Pop

90 to 120: The neuter zone. Angry, sexless music (e.g. hardcore) and sexless intellectual noodling (e.g. over reaching jazz)

Check out a faux hardcore band and you'll see them clocking in at about 88 clicks. The real deal clocks in at 92 plus (but doesn't sell records).

Lot's of high energy pop songs start at 88 and end at 92, but few, if any, successful pop songs start at 92+. Lots of amateur high energy pop hangs around 92 and doesn't quite work (check out some modern ska bands).

120: The magic dance tempo. Disco (or whatever you want to call it this season). Boom boom boom boom.

120 plus: Quick, uptempo stuff, most of it 2/4 or broken 1/8's.

144 plus: Just too quick to play, or to follow.

 

Keep in mind:

There are exceptions to every rule.

Playing two time signatures at once (as in the "triplet" feel), syncopation, and odd time signatures cloud the definitions.

When timing a song, I try to count the number of beats in exactly one minute. It's a lot easier and more accurate than trying to match a click to the song.

Some people double up the metronome, so instead of "60 to 90", for example, they say "120 to 180" to refer to the same tempos. The real theory is "any multiple of 2 to 3 beats per second", and that's based on the physiology of sex, as taught in Psychology 101. I just find a metronome set at 60 easier to follow than one set at 120.