What 120 BPM sounds like
Tempo marking: Allegro · one beat every 500 ms
120 beats per minute is the default tempo of modern music. Open almost any DAW and the project starts at 120. It is exactly two beats per second, so a bar of 4/4 lasts two seconds and a 16-bar section lasts 32 seconds, which is why it is so convenient for arranging.
It is also a deeply physical tempo. A standard military quick march is 120 steps per minute, and house music has used 120–128 BPM as its home tempo for decades. On the classical scale it is Allegro: bright, fast and energetic.
Music at 120 BPM
- House and dance-pop: Classic house sits at 120–128 BPM with a four-on-the-floor kick.
- Pop: A large share of chart pop is produced between 115 and 125 BPM.
- Marches: The standard quick march is 120 steps per minute.
- Allegro classical movements: Fast movements marked Allegro are commonly performed at 120–130 BPM.
Note lengths at 120 BPM
| Value | Duration | Per minute |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter note (1 beat) | 500 ms | 120 |
| Eighth note | 250 ms | 240 |
| Eighth-note triplet | 166.7 ms | 360 |
| Sixteenth note | 125 ms | 480 |
| Whole bar of 4/4 | 2000 ms | 30 |
How to practise at 120 BPM
- Use 120 BPM as your reference tempo: learn to feel it without a click, then check yourself against the metronome.
- Drummers: play four-on-the-floor with eighth-note hi-hats, then open the hat on every offbeat for a classic house pattern.
- Guitarists and pianists: sixteenth notes at 120 BPM are 480 notes per minute, a common intermediate speed goal.
- Try the practice timer at 15 or 30 minutes to build endurance at a steady performance tempo.
Suggested metronome settings
- Subdivision: eighth notes for grooves, sixteenths for technique
- Accent: 4/4 straight
- Sound: click
120 BPM FAQ
Why is 120 BPM the default tempo?
It equals two beats per second, so bars and sections line up with round numbers of seconds, and it matches the natural pace of marching and dancing.
What tempo marking is 120 BPM?
Allegro. Many references list 120 BPM as the start of the Allegro range.
How long is one bar of 4/4 at 120 BPM?
Exactly two seconds. Each beat is 500 milliseconds, eighth notes are 250 ms apart and sixteenths 125 ms.