HOW TO Identify Any Song

The Internet has made many things in life much more simple. Connecting with people from the past, finding new friends, shopping, checking review of products and services, and even enjoying entertainment. Most of us spend more time on the web than doing perhaps anything else, especially now that mobile technology has improved and we are able to do it from there, as well.

One of my personal favorite uses for the web is discovering the names of music I hear while out and about. It used to be impossible to do this, and I still remember agonizing over the name of something I heard for years before finding out what it was. Especially when it came to songs from my childhood, which I had heard on the radio somewhere but never knew anything about.

There are many ways to do this now. Even if you know nothing at all about what you heard. The first and most obvious way is through a Google search, using a couple of lyrics you might have picked up or remembered. Or, if you recognized the artist or knew the commercial, TV show or movie that might have been using it.

But if that isn't possible, there are still a few ways to do it.

Audiotag

This is a simple audio identification service. You just record a few bars of the music, like through your mobile phone or computer mic. Then the service analyzes it on their site and gives you a name and details about it. It is usually incredibly accurate and doesn't require any downloads.

Shazam

An app for for mobile devices, you can use this on an iPod, iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Nokia or Windows Phone. Just record a bit of what you are hearing and let it do the rest. It will even help you discover related artists you might enjoy. There is also a feature for YB shows and brands.

Wat Zat Song?

There is an entire community of people out there ready to help you find out what a song might be. Just record a snippet of what you are hearing, and upload it to the song. You can also help others to figure it out by listening to their snippets and letting them know if you know it. Search by category, and be sure to check out others to see if something has already been identified.

Midomi

Don't have a clip of the song available, but remember the tune? Then you are all set! Just upload a clip of you humming the song and this program will help you do find out what it is. All you need is ten seconds of the tune for most songs. You can also check out their other features, like hot new artists, featured music and more.

Musipedia

If you don't like to sing, you can still manually enter the song. Just a virtual keyboard and work out a few seconds of the tune. It will then do a search against similar songs, until you find the one you are looking for. There is a flash based and a java based version. There is also a microphone option for humming, singing or even whistling it. There is a melodic contour search to help you out with getting the interval structure right and so narrowing your results. Or search for rhythms.

It has never been easier to find out about a song you didn't know before but what to discover. I have used everything on this list more than once, and they are very effective. Especially if it has been a really long time and you literally cannot think of a single lyrics.

Do you know of any good music recognition programs for finding out a half-remembered song? Let us know in the comments!