## Tempo Marking

A tempo marking is the word or metronome number at the top of a piece saying how fast to play it — Andante, Allegro, or something like ♩ = 96.

The Italian words describe a character as much as a speed: Andante is "walking", Allegro is "cheerful" as much as "fast". A metronome number removes the ambiguity, which is why modern editions usually give both.


## How To Spot Tempo Marking

Above the staff at the very start, in italics or with a note symbol and a number.


## Find It In Thirty Seconds

Set a metronome to the marked tempo and listen before you play. If it is faster than you can play accurately, halve it — the marking is the destination, not the starting point.

Open any piece of sheet music on this site and do it now. Reading is a recognition skill, and recognition is built by finding things, not by reading about them.