YOGYAKARTA - Music is one form of art that is very close to human life. In a song, there are many elements that are interrelated so as to produce beautiful and meaningful harmony. These elements include melody, rhythm, rhyme, dynamics, and tempo. One of the very important elements but often considered trivial is tempo. Tempo plays a big role in determining how fast or slow a song is played, as well as affecting the mood and emotions felt by the listener. The following will explain what tempo signs are used in songs.

Tempo marks are clues in music that indicate the speed at which a song is played. These marks are usually written at the beginning of the song's score, right after the beat mark. Tempo determines how fast the basic beat (beat) in a song goes. With the tempo mark, the musician can adjust the speed of the game to match the character of the song that the creator wants.

In general, tempo marks are written using Italian terms, because during the development of Western classical music, Italy became the center of the development of music theory. In addition to using terms, tempo can also be expressed in numerical units using a metronome, which indicates the number of beats per minute (BPM - beats per minute). However, in the practice of learning music, tempo marks based on terms are more often introduced because they are easy to understand and directly related to the nuances of the song.

Tempo not only serves as a speed regulator, but also as a shaper of expression. Slow tempo songs tend to evoke a calm, sad, or solemn atmosphere, while fast tempo songs usually convey a sense of joy, enthusiasm, or energetic. Therefore, the selection of tempo is very important in determining the emotional message that a song wants to convey.

Types of Tempo Marks

The existence of tempo in a music can be divided into 3 groups, namely slow tempo, medium tempo, and fast tempo. In these types of tempo, the beat will be written in units of M.M which is an abbreviation of Metronome Malze. For example, there is a song that has a beat of 70 M.M, which means that in one minute there are 70 beats.

Slow Tempo

Slow tempo will usually show that the atmosphere and lyrics of the song will feel sad and solemn. The following are some types of slow tempo:

Grave: very slow and solemn, with a speed of about 40-44MLargo: slow and majestic, with a speed of about 46-50MAdagio: a little faster than Largo, with a speed of about 52-54MSlow: slow, with a speed of about 56-58MMedium Tempo

Tempo sedang biasanya akan menunjukkan bahwa suasana dan syair lagu tersebut akan terasa gembira dan kemegahan. Berikut ini beberapa jenis dari tempo sedang:

Andante: as fast as a person walking, at a speed of about 72-76 MAndantio: faster than Andante, at a speed of about 80-84 MMaestoso: majestic and noble, at a speed of about 88-92 MModerato: medium, at a speed of about 96-104 MFast Tempo

Fast tempo will usually indicate that the atmosphere and lyrics of the song will feel happy and invigorating. Here are some types of fast tempo:

Allegretto: rather quick and cheerful, with a speed of about 108-116M Allegro: fast, lively and cheerful, with a speed of about 132-138M Vivace: lively and cheerful, with a speed of about 160-176M Presto: fast, with a speed of about 184-200M

In addition, there are also several other signs that indicate the tempo or speed of the song, namely:

Accelerando: faster Ritardando: slower Fermata: the duration is regulated by the singer or conductor Staccato: intermittent

Tempo marks are one of the important elements in music that serves as a speed regulator as well as a song mood builder. With tempo marks, a song can be played consistently and according to the intention of the creator. Tempo not only determines the speed or slowness of a song, but also plays a big role in conveying the emotion and character of the music to the listener.

Hopefully useful. Visit VOI.id to get other interesting information.


The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)

Add VOI as a Preferred Source
Follow VOI news updates across Google.
+