Tempo Markings

Look above the opening staff or at the start of a new section. A word such as Andante gives a broad pace and a feel; a metronome mark such as quarter note = 92 specifies how many quarter-note pulses pass in a minute. If both appear, the number is the more exact instruction.

Tempo describes the main pulse. Four sixteenth notes inside one slow beat may sound busy, but the piece is still at a slow tempo if the beat itself has not sped up. Tap only the main beats when comparing two recordings.

Italian terms became conventional in much Western art-music notation, so players can recognize words such as Allegro across different scores. They are not the only option. A composer can write 'slowly', supply a BPM number, or use both a tempo word and a character instruction.

No. Reference charts assign different numbers to the same term, and the workable speed depends on note density, meter and the character of the piece. Treat the numbers below as places to try a term, not official boundaries. In 2/2 the half note may carry the beat, so '120 BPM' is incomplete unless you also know which note value the number counts.