Musical Tempos and descriptions

1. The Turtle and the
Hare: Tempos in Music
Indicates the speed or pace of a given
piece of music

2. Imagine tapping your toe or
head banging to your favorite
piece of music….
» You will be moving to the tempo, which will
be slow, medium or fast.
» In music, a tempo is given to the performer
to let them know what speed to play.

3. Where is the tempo and what
does it look like?
The tempo is found above or below a
staff of music.
The initial tempo is in the top left
hand corner of the piece.

4. Are you smart enough?
In music, tempos are given using
words in the Italian language.
Mamma Mia, get ready for some
Italiano!

5. Let’s start with SLOW tempos
Say the word and s-t-r-e-t-c-h it out
LARGO
He’s in no hurry…
Very Slow

6. SLOW Tempos
Adagio
Imagine saying it like these
ladies- “Adahhhhgio” with
the pinky up
Not as slow as largo

7. MEDIUM Tempos
Andante
Called a
“walking tempo”
Enjoying the scenery-
Walking with medium
speed

8. MEDIUM Tempos
Moderato
Sounds like the word “moderate,”
which means reasonable or medium
speed.
Enjoying a ride through the
trails

9. FAST Tempos
Allegro
Faster than andante
Sprinters run at top speeds of 25 mph.
That’s FAST!

10. FAST Tempos
PRESTO
Very fast speed
Race cars can reach speeds of over 220 mph.
That’s VERY fast!

11. A Quick Timeline of Tempos
Slow Medium Fast

12. Here are your
choices:
-Allegro
-Andante
-Presto
-Adagio
-Largo
-Moderato
1.
2.
1.
2.
1.
2.

13. In the next slide, put the pictures
with the correct tempo

14. There are 2 correct answers for
each picture
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

15. Click when you’re ready
If you need a quick review,
click the ?

16. I Loves You Porgy by Keith Jarrett
A. Largo
B. Presto
C. Moderato

17. Limehouse Blues by Cannonball Adderly
A. Adagio
B. Allegro
C. Moderato

18. The Bird and the Worm by Owl City
A. Largo
B. Presto
C. Moderato

19. All You Need is Love by the Beatles
A. Presto
B. Largo
C. Andante

20. How High the Moon by the Other Guys
A. Andante
B. Largo
C. Moderato

21. William Tell Overture by Rossini
A. Adagio
B. Presto
C. Allegro

23. Just a couple of extras:
The tempo is also given a number that
equals the BPM (beats per minute.)
A metronome will click the tempo to help
you practice playing precisely.

24. Links to more tempo
information…
Wikipedia- Tempo Article
San Francisco Symphony- Tempo
Free Metronome Online
Free Metronome for your Ipod touch or
Iphone