Originally Posted by: dlwalke

When calculating bpm, do you just count the 1 2 3 4 (assuming a simple 4/4 time signature), or would you sometimes count the "and"s as well?[/quote][p]Yes, counting the downbeats (the numbers) is the default standard.

Originally Posted by: dlwalkeIf a song has a very strong 1 and 3 and a very weak 2 and 4, do you still count the 2 and 4?

Usually, yes. Although, this can depend on the time signature & the intention of the composer/performer.

An exception example would be cut-time. In this case the beat is on the half-note. It can help to write & read the notation to do this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alla_breve

I'm kind of guessing that the answer is that you always count whatever the first number

[p]Usually, but always. For example, in 6/8 you usually count on 1 & 4 as the dotted quarter note gets the count. In 12/8 you usually count on 1, 4, 7, 10.

Hope that helps!