Tempo Marks
What Are the Basic Tempo Markings? Italian musical terminology makes regular use of the following tempo markings: Larghissimo—very, very slow, almost droning (20 BPM and below) Grave—slow and solemn (20–40 BPM) Lento—slowly (40–60 BPM) Largo—the most commonly indicated “slow” tempo (40–60 BPM) Larghetto—rather broadly, and still quite slow (60–66 BPM) Adagio—another popular slow tempo, which translates to mean "at ease" (66–76 BPM) Adagietto—rather slow (70–80 BPM) Andante moderato—a bit slower than andante Andante—a popular tempo that translates as “at a walking pace” (76–108 BPM) Andantino—slightly faster than andante Moderato—moderately (108–120 BPM) Allegretto—moderately fast (but less so than allegro) Allegro moderato—moderately quick (112–124 BPM) Allegro—perhaps the most frequently used tempo marking (120–168 BPM, which includes the “heartbeat tempo” sweet spot) Vivace—lively and fast (typically around 168-176 BPM) Vivacissimo—very fast and lively, even faster than viv...