Rants and Raves

In Your Ear : What BPM Doesn't Tell You

Tovah Feinberg Season 1 Episode 5

Numbers can add up, but say very little. So why do we often hear music described solely as BPM these days? A description distilled to tempo alone obscures the intricacies of melodies, harmonies, texture and tonality that moves us. Music reviews certainly don’t start and end with “the track is 142 BPM.” Summing up our feelings as digits does a disservice to the depths of our perception.

What BPM Doesn't Tell You

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Music x Claude Young Jr / Logo x Michael Magnan

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