From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: Rhythm
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Tempo and tempo changes
From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: Rhythm
Tempo and tempo changes
- The beat of your heart. That's the tempo that you know best. It's usually around 70 to 75 BPM. Ba-boom, ba-boom. But it fluctuates. When you're excited, it's faster. When you're mellow or sleeping, it's slower. When you're dancing or exercising, your heart is beating near or at its fastest tempo. In music, we utilize tempo to affect the feel of a song, to set the energy or mood, or to make other hearts race or relax. Faster songs usually equate to more energy and exuberance, while slower songs chill us out, make us mellow. When writing a song, there are some general guidelines for tempos in particular genres. Rock, jazz, and classical music can basically be any tempo, with ballads starting as slow as 50 BPM. Reggae falls between 60 and 80 BPM. Old school hip-hop is usually between 85 and 95 BPM, while newer hip-hop and rap are often faster. Trip-hop and downtempo clock in between 90 and 110 BPM. Many pop songs fall into the 90 to 115 BPM range. House music takes over at the 115 to…
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