Membranophonist’s Ramblings

Assuming you have BPM numbers input for your music (iTunes BPM input tool), it would be cool if the Nike+ in-shoe sensor could use your footfalls to set a tempo around which to select music on your iPod. Go running, listen to Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”, and feel the burn! A leisurely stroll would pull up something like Sonny Clark’s “Cool Struttin’”.

This is all the more reason that tracks downloaded from the iTunes Music Store should have BPM metadata embedded; once input by those responsible for initially tagging the music, individual users don’t have to worry about it, be they runners or DJs.

Input CD tracks’ BPM can be submitted using Advanced -> Submit CD Track Names. I believe the CDDB does save and subsequently provide this data to those who look up the same album in the future.

The title of this post is a reference to a great Isley Brothers tune, “Footsteps in the Dark”, which was sampled by Ice Cube for “It Was A Good Day”

I was not aware of it until I saw the link at MacRumors, but hrmpf.com has more detailed information drawn from Apple patent filings for just such an idea.