"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "How High the Moon" by Joe Pass. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: contemplative, intimate, reflective. Visual style: 1970s editorial print aesthetic, sun-faded color. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
130
BPM
How High the Moon by Joe Pass is 130 BPM — Allegro (fast).
Half-time 65 BPM · Double-time 260 BPM · released 1973
Fan image for "How High the Moon"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
Does this image fit the song?
0 agree · 0 not quite · 0/100 toward next regeneration
Prompts in the running for the next image
Upvote the prompts you think best capture the song. The top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. Submit your own at the bottom.
No listener prompts yet. Be the first to submit one below.
How would you describe this song?
One or two sentences. Describe what the song feels like — a scene, a metaphor, a color, a place. Good descriptions are specific and sensory. Your submission becomes a candidate prompt that others can upvote.
Share:
Share on X
Explore from this song · jump to the numbers · FAQ
Find its sonic twinHidden gems like itDial itSongs like thisAll tools
Song DNA
Notes: The song features intricate guitar work with a smooth and flowing texture, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The dynamic range allows for expressive playing, with moments of both subtlety and intensity.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening relaxation study
Right in the middle of our energy scale. It’s easy enough to follow without going flat. It lurches between soft and loud with just a little movement, layered in texture, with an all-instrumental build, no vocal to follow at a brisk, driving tempo. Across the library, it sits more energetic than 41% of songs, calmer than the rest.
affiliate links
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: contemplative, intimate, reflective
Traditions: jazz
Volume Warning
"How High the Moon" climbs hard.
Dynamic range 7/10 places this in our upper band. The opening volume that feels comfortable will not be comfortable at the climax. If you are setting this up for a focused listen, anchor your volume to the quietest section, not the loudest. The arc is the point of the song; if you blunt it by riding the volume knob, you lose what makes it work. Joe Pass built the dynamic shape on purpose. Plan around it.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 7/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.
Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: instrumental.
Where this sits in Joe Pass's catalog
We have 20 songs from Joe Pass in the library. Of those, 16 are rated Safe, 4 Moderate, and 0 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits above the artist average of 5.7, making it the #2 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Virtuoso
We have 13 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans safe in sensory profile.
- All the Things You Are — safe DR 6
- Have You Met Miss Jones — safe DR 5
- Easy Living — safe DR 5
- Cherokee — moderate DR 7
- Sweet Georgia Brown — moderate DR 6
- Stars Fell on Alabama — safe DR 5
- For Django — safe DR 6
- Girl Talk — safe DR 6
- Sophisticated Lady — safe DR 5
- Night and Day — safe DR 5
- On a Clear Day — safe DR 5
- There Will Never Be Another You — safe DR 6
1973 context
Released in 1973. We have 297 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.4/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1970s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Traditions
jazz · 890Guides that may help
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners…
Music for Focus That Keeps Slipping: What Actually Works
What music properties actually hold a wandering attention? A guide to tempo, texture and sensory rat…
Why lo-fi study beats might be lying to you
Lo-fi hip hop is the default focus soundtrack for millions, but the science is messier than the mark…
How fast is "How High the Moon"?
130 BPM — Fast (workout / running pace)
For running
Slow jog or recovery run pace. Matches a 120-140 stride-per-minute cadence.
For workouts
Running, cycling, aerobic workouts, dance cardio.
For daily life
Driving, getting ready in the morning, light party.
Browse more songs at 130 BPM.
When "How High the Moon" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
✗
Focus / studying
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
✓
Running / workout
Yes — 130 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.
✗
Sleep / winding down
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
✓
Driving / road trip
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
✓
Cooking / dinner background
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
~
Emotional release / catharsis
Not really — it's pleasant but doesn't hit hard enough for cathartic listening.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
Why lo-fi study beats might be lying to you
Lo-fi hip hop is the default focus soundtrack for millions, but the science is messier than the marketing. Why it can quietly hurt deep work…
Every Nick Drake album, ranked by how completely it disappears you
Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, Pink Moon — three records, three different vanishings. A passionate ranking by how deeply each one absorbs …
Jazz isn't always calm — bebop is sensory chaos in a suit
Putting on Charlie Parker to relax is a category error. A passionate look at why bebop and hard bop are some of the most cognitively dense m…
Why this rating
We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.
This song in the Music Studio
44/100 intensity
See how “How High the Moon” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →
For focused listening
Independently chosen tools listed on eBay. We may earn a commission from these links, at no extra cost to you.
Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-17. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
By the numbers: how this song compares
Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.
Where it sits in 19,000 songs
On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 41% of songs, calmer than the other 59%. Its intensity reading of 44/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 86% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.
Feels almost identical to
Tom Thumb — Wayne Shorter · 99%Tunji — John Coltrane · 99%Got a Match — Chick Corea · 99%The Sorcerer — Herbie Hancock · 99%
Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.
What it’s good for
Sleep5/10
Focus10/10
Workout6/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1973 in context
The 297 songs we’ve measured from 1973 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 7/10, this track is right in line with its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity44
Dynamics67
Tempo50
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "How High the Moon"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "How High the Moon" by Joe Pass?
"How High the Moon" by Joe Pass has a tempo of 130 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 65 BPM, and at double-time 260 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "How High the Moon" by Joe Pass?
"How High the Moon" by Joe Pass rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 7/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "How High the Moon" — what is its dynamic range?
"How High the Moon" has a dynamic range of 7/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.
Does "How High the Moon" have sudden or surprising changes?
"How High the Moon" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "How High the Moon" best for?
In our library "How High the Moon" is recommended for: deep listening, relaxation, study. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "How High the Moon" released?
"How High the Moon" is from 1973, on the album "Virtuoso". It appears in our 1970s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "How High the Moon"?
We tag "How High the Moon" as contemplative, intimate, reflective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "How High the Moon"?
The vocal style is instrumental.
Is "How High the Moon" good for running?
Yes — at 130 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.
Is "How High the Moon" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (7/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "How High the Moon" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "How High the Moon"?
"How High the Moon" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.
Songs with the same DNA
layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
What this song means to people
No stories yet. Be the first.
Share what this song means to you
Keep exploring
Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.