What is musical tempo? Types of musical tempos. Basic concepts Lively tempo when playing music

Classic definition states that tempo in music is the speed of movement. But what does this mean? The fact is that music has its own unit of measurement of time. These are not seconds, as in physics, and not hours and minutes, which we are accustomed to in life.

Musical time most closely resembles the beating of the human heart, the measured beats of the pulse. These blows measure time. And the pace, that is, the overall speed of movement, depends on whether they are fast or slow.

When we listen to music, we do not hear this pulsation, unless, of course, it is specifically shown by percussion instruments. But every musician secretly, inside himself definitely feels these pulse beats, it is they that help to play or sing rhythmically, without deviating from the main tempo.

Here's an example. Everyone knows the melody of the New Year's song “A Christmas tree was born in the forest.” In this melody, the movement is mainly in eighth notes (sometimes there are others). The pulse beats at the same time, you just can’t hear it, but we will specially sound it using a percussion instrument. Listen to this example and you will begin to feel the pulse of this song:

What are the tempos in music?

All tempos that exist in music can be divided into three main groups: slow, moderate (that is, average) and fast. In musical notation, tempo is usually denoted special terms, most of which are words of Italian origin.

So slow tempos include Largo and Lento, as well as Adagio and Grave.

Moderate tempos include Andante and its derivative Andantino, as well as Moderato, Sostenuto and Allegretto.

Finally, let's list the fast tempos: the cheerful Allegro, the lively Vivo and Vivace, as well as the fast Presto and the fastest Prestissimo.

How to set the exact tempo?

Is it possible to measure musical tempo in seconds? It turns out that it is possible. For this purpose, a special device is used - a metronome. The inventor of the mechanical metronome is the German mechanical physicist and musician Johann Maelzel. Nowadays, musicians in their daily rehearsals use both mechanical metronomes and electronic analogues - in the form of a separate device or application on the phone.

What is the principle of operation of a metronome? This device, after special settings (move the weight along the scale), beats the pulse at a certain speed (for example, 80 beats per minute or 120 beats per minute, etc.).

The click of a metronome resembles the loud ticking of a clock. One or another beat frequency of these beats corresponds to one of the musical tempos. For example, for a fast tempo Allegro the frequency will be approximately 120-132 beats per minute, and for a slow tempo Adagio it will be about 60 beats per minute.

These are the main points regarding musical tempo that we wanted to convey to you. If you still have questions, please write them in the comments. Until next time.

Pace

The speed of movement of a piece of music is called pace. As the piece progresses, depending on the theme, the tempo may change.

All this sets the expressiveness of the work. You can play not just quickly or slowly, but also speeding up, delaying, etc. There are many options. We will look at them in this article.

Tempo designation

Tempo is mostly expressed in Italian words. There are also designations in Russian. You can also set the tempo using the metronome. The tempo is recorded above the staff at the very beginning of the piece, as well as in those places where the tempo changes.

Let's look at everything in order.

Three main tempo groups

All tempos are divided into three groups: slow, moderate and fast tempos.

Shades

To clarify the shades of tempo, the following notations are used:

Dynamic shades

In order to indicate acceleration or deceleration, the following symbols are used:

ADAGIO - 1) slow pace; 2) the title of a work or part of a cyclic composition in adagio tempo; 3) slow solo or duet dance in classical ballet.

ACCOMPANIMENT - musical accompaniment soloist, ensemble, orchestra or choir.

CHORD - a combination of several (at least 3) sounds of different heights, perceived as a sound unity; The sounds in a chord are arranged in thirds.

ACCENT - a stronger, more percussive production of any one sound compared to others.

ALLEGRO - 1) tempo corresponding to a very fast step; 2) the name of the piece or part of the sonata cycle in allegro tempo.

ALLEGRETTO - 1) tempo, slower than allegro, but faster than moderato; 2) the name of the piece or part of the work in allegretto tempo.

ALTERATION - raising and lowering a step of a modal scale without changing its name. Alteration signs - sharp, flat, double-sharp, double-flat; the sign of its cancellation is bekar.

ANDANTE - 1) moderate pace, corresponding to a calm step; 2) the name of the work and parts of the sonata cycle in andante tempo.

ANDANTINO - 1) tempo, more lively than andante; 2) the name of the work or part of the sonata cycle in andantino tempo.

ENSEMBLE - a group of performers performing as a single artistic group.

ARRANGEMENT - processing of a musical work for performance on another instrument or with a different composition of instruments and voices.

ARPEGGIO - playing sounds in succession, usually starting with the lowest tone.

BEL CANTO is a vocal style that emerged in Italy in the 17th century, distinguished by the beauty and lightness of its sound, the perfection of the cantilena, and the virtuosity of coloratura.

VARIATIONS - a musical work in which the theme is presented several times with changes in texture, tonality, melody, etc.

VIRTUOSO - a performer who has perfect command of the voice or the art of playing the instrument musical instrument.

VOCALISE - a piece of music for singing without words on a vowel sound; usually an exercise to develop vocal technique. Vocalises for concert performance are known.

VOCAL MUSIC - works for one, several or many voices (with or without instrumental accompaniment), with few exceptions associated with a poetic text.

SOUND PITCH is the quality of sound determined by a person subjectively and associated mainly with its frequency.

GAMMA - the sequence of all sounds of a scale, located from the main tone in ascending or descending order, has the volume of an octave, and can be continued into adjacent octaves.

HARMONY - expressive means of music based on the combination of tones into harmonies, on the connection of harmonies in their sequential movement. It is built according to the laws of mode in polyphonic music. Elements of harmony - cadence and modulation. The doctrine of harmony is one of the main sections of music theory.

RANGE - sound volume (the interval between the lowest and highest sounds) of a singing voice, a musical instrument.

DYNAMICS - differences in the degree of sound strength, volume and their changes.

CONDUCTING - management of a musical performing group during learning and public performance of a musical composition. It is carried out by the conductor (kapellmeister, choirmaster) with the help of special gestures and facial expressions.

DISSONANCE - unfused, intense simultaneous sound of different tones.

DURATION - the time occupied by a sound or pause.

DOMINANT is one of the tonal functions in major and minor, which has an intense tendency towards the tonic.

BIND INSTRUMENTS - a group of instruments whose sound source is vibrations of the air column in the bore (tube).

GENRE is a historically established division, a type of work in the unity of its form and content. They differ in the method of performance (vocal, vocal-instrumental, solo), purpose (applied, etc.), content (lyrical, epic, dramatic), place and conditions of performance (theater, concert, chamber, film music, etc.).

SOLO - the introductory part of a choral song or epic.

SOUND - characterized by a certain pitch and volume.

IMPROVISATION - composing music during its performance, without preparation.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC - intended for performance on instruments: solo, ensemble, orchestral.

INSTRUMENTATION - presentation of music in the form of a score for a chamber ensemble or orchestra.

INTERVAL - the ratio of two sounds in height. It can be melodic (sounds are taken one after another) and harmonic (sounds are taken simultaneously).

INTRODUCTION - 1) a brief introduction to the first part or finale of a cyclic instrumental musical work; 2) a type of short overture to an opera or ballet, an introduction to a separate act of the opera; 3) a choir or vocal ensemble that follows the overture and opens the action of the opera.

CADENCE - 1) a harmonic or melodic turn that completes a musical structure and gives it greater or less completeness; 2) a virtuoso solo episode in an instrumental concert.

CHAMBER MUSIC - instrumental or vocal music for a small group of performers.

TUNING FORK is a special device that produces a sound of a certain frequency. This sound serves as a standard for tuning musical instruments and singing.

CLAVIR - 1) general name for strings keyboard instruments in the XVII-XVIII centuries; 2) abbreviation of the word klaviraustsug - arrangement of the score of an opera, oratorio, etc. for singing with a piano, as well as for one piano.

COLORATURA - fast, technically difficult, virtuoso passages in singing.

COMPOSITION - 1) construction of a work; 2) title of the work; 3) composing music; 4) academic subject in music educational institutions.

CONSONANCE - a united, coordinated simultaneous sound of different tones, one of the most important elements of harmony.

CLIMAX - the moment of highest tension in a musical structure, a section of a musical work, or a whole work.

LEITMOTHIO - a musical phrase repeated in a work as a characteristic or symbol of a character, object, phenomenon, idea, emotion.

LIBRETTO - literary text, which is taken as the basis for creating a piece of music.

Organized in modes, intonation and rhythm, forming a certain structure.

METER - the order of alternation of strong and weak beats, a system for organizing rhythm.

METRONOME is a tool that helps determine the correct tempo of performance.

MODERATO - moderate tempo, between andantino and allegretto.

MODULATION - transition to a new key.

MUSICAL FORM - 1) complex expressive means, embodying a certain ideological and artistic content in a musical work.

NOTE WRITING - a system of graphic signs for recording music, as well as its recording itself. Modern musical notation uses: 5-line stave, notes (signs indicating sounds), key (determines the pitch of notes), etc.

OVERTONES - overtones (partial tones), sound higher or weaker than the main tone, merged with it. The presence and strength of each of them determines the timbre of the sound.

ORCHESTRATION - arrangement of a piece of music for orchestra.

ORNAMENTS - ways to decorate vocal and instrumental melodies. Small melodic embellishments are called melismas.

OSTINATO - repeated repetition of a melodic rhythmic figure.

PASSAGE - a sequence of sounds in fast motion, often difficult to perform.

PAUSE - a break in the sound of one, several or all voices in a musical work; a sign in musical notation indicating this break.

PIZZICATO - method of producing sound on bowed instruments(plucked), gives a jerky sound, quieter than when playing with a bow.

PLEECTR (mediator) - a device for producing sound on stringed, mainly plucked, musical instruments.

PRELUDE - a short piece, as well as the introductory part of a musical work.

PROGRAM MUSIC - musical works that the composer provided with a verbal program that concretizes perception.

REPRISE - repetition of the motive of a musical work, as well as musical notation repetitions.

RHYTHM - alternation of sounds of different duration and strength.

SYMPHONISM - disclosure artistic design with the help of a consistent self-motivated musical development, including the confrontation and transformation of themes and thematic elements.

SYMPHONY MUSIC - musical works intended for performance symphony orchestra(large, monumental works, short plays).

SCHERZO - 1) in the XV1-XVII centuries. designation of vocal-instrumental works based on humorous texts, as well as instrumental plays; 2) part of a suite; 3) part of a sonata-symphonic cycle; 4) from the 19th century. an independent instrumental work, close to a capriccio.

MUSICAL HEARING - a person’s ability to perceive individual qualities musical sounds, feel the functional connections between them.

SOLFEGIO - vocal exercises for developing hearing and music reading skills.

STRING INSTRUMENTS - according to the method of sound production, they are divided into bowed, plucked, percussion, percussion-keyboard, plucked-keyboard.

TACT is a specific form and unit of musical meter.

THEME - a structure that forms the basis of a musical work or its sections.

TEMP - speed of repetition of metric counting units. A metronome is used for accurate measurements.

TEMPERATION - equalization of interval relationships between stages of the sound system.

TONIC - the main degree of the mode.

TRANSCRIPTION - arrangement or free, often virtuoso, processing of a musical work.

TRILL - an iridescent sound born from the rapid repetition of two adjacent tones.

OVERTURE is an orchestral piece performed before a theatrical performance.

PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS - instruments with a leather membrane or made of a material that is capable of sounding itself.

UNISON - the simultaneous sound of several musical sounds of the same pitch.

TEXTURE - the specific sound appearance of a work.

Falsetto is one of the registers of the male singing voice.

FERMATA - stopping the tempo, usually at the end of a piece of music or between its sections; expressed in increasing the duration of a sound or pause.

FINAL - the final part of a cyclic musical work.

CHORAL - religious chant in Latin or native languages.

CHROMATISM is a half-tone interval system of two types (ancient Greek and new European).

STROKES - methods of producing sound on bowed instruments, giving the sound a different character and color.

EXPOSITION - 1) the initial section of sonata form, which sets out the main themes of the work; 2) the first part of the fugue.

VARIETY - a type of musical performing art

Every professional musician knows that there are notes of different durations - half notes, eighth notes, etc. But if you ask someone how long each of them should sound, the answer will be ambiguous. After all, the sound of the same quarter note in different works will vary in duration. Therefore, although it is connected with time, it is unrealistic to determine the length of the entire work with them. It's like trying to measure time using steps.

Musical tempo

What to do and how to correctly determine the speed of music? How quickly does the internal biological pendulum located inside each of us need to work in beating down the downbeats? There is an answer to this question, because in this case we will talk about musical tempos.

Tempo means "time" in Italian. Literally, the term means the speed of the sound of a piece of music, which is measured in the number of beats per minute. But the main task of musical tempo is to convey to the listener the character and emotions of the composer’s creation.

What is the tempo?

For ordinary amateur music listeners, the main differences in music sound like fast or slow. Professional musicians use special terms invented in Italy. There are many such terms, but we will look at the most widely used ones. It is worth noting that when we're talking about about musical tempo, what is mainly taken into account is not a certain number of beats (although this is also important), but the character that carries the corresponding emotions.

As we can see from the table, the slowest musical tempo is Grave, which means that the piece needs to be played not just slowly, but heavily and solemnly. It is worth noting here the relationship between tempo values ​​and musical embellishments (melismas). In this case, Grave also denotes the “seriousness” of the performance, while Largo and Adagio, which are similar in the number of beats, require the performer to improvise in decoration.

Sometimes, in a given Grave tempo, there may be an indication next to individual single notes of the Adagio. Logically, changing the tempo in a solemn, serious movement (an overture, for example) is impossible. In this case, adagio indicates the possibility of ornamentation of this section of the work. This is where the sayings about the masters of improvisation came from, who were called “ good performers adagio". This term meant that the musician knew how to use ornamentation while playing.

Metronome

This unusual name is given to an instrument that can beat certain pieces of time with blows, thanks to which the tempo in music is determined. Metronome is translated from Greek as “the force of law.” The classic device is a wooden pyramid with a pendulum moving in the center. It also has a scale with numbers. They mean the number of beats per minute. For example, Presto's fast music tempo is 184-200 clicks. Each of these beats has a strong beat. There are also electronic metronomes, as well as mobile applications on smartphones, by installing which you can set the desired pace directly from your phone.

You should be careful when playing with a metronome. After all, music should be alive and its sound can hardly be called pure mechanics. Basically, the metronome is used to play technical works: etudes, scales, arpeggios.

How do different rates affect the human body?

At an Italian university, Dr. Luciano Bernardi conducted an interesting experiment. It was based on the task of tracing the influence of different musical tempos on human body. 24 people were selected to participate, half of whom were professional musicians, and the other half were ordinary music lovers.

Before the experiment began, measurements were taken:

• blood pressure;
• respiratory rate;
• heart rate;
• high and low frequency heart rate variability.

After this, the subjects were allowed to listen to musical excerpts of different duration (2-4 minutes) and style with short pauses between them.

What was the result of the experiment?

The results of the experiment showed that all organic indicators increased while playing fast tempos musical works. Moreover, among musicians the breathing rate was noted to be higher than among ordinary listeners. It is interesting that this phenomenon is due not to the individual preferences of each of the participants, but to the rhythmic pattern and tempo of the work itself.

According to the doctor and his assistants, alternating fast and slow musical tempos can immerse listeners in a state of deep relaxation, as well as improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Electronic music and its tempos

Classic is eternal... So he said at one time great composer Paganini. Of course, classical music has its fans. But it was replaced by new styles with a radically fresh sound. This includes electronic music.

To write electronic works, various equipment is used, not very similar to a harpsichord or violin. Basically, these are computers, synthesizers and other fashionable items. Let's consider the most popular musical styles.

Breaks

This is not just a style, but a whole subculture. It originated during the popularity of the Winstons group, which for the first time used a broken, so-called “drum loop” during the game - not just one drum sound, but entire small passages consisting of several bars. Later, such motives became the basis of breakbeat. They often sound in drum'n'bass style. In breaks they have already changed significantly, but the broken rhythm remains. True, it sounds at a more moderate musical tempo with a beat frequency of 120-130.

Electro

Electronic style has its origins in hip-hop culture. Formed under the strong influence of funk and Kraftwerk. The direction is distinguished by a pronounced “computer” sound. There are practically no natural sounds in such music. Even vocal parts or the voices of nature are modified beyond recognition with the help of various effects. The main topic composers of the electro style are robots, technological innovations, nuclear explosions etc. The tempo is used at 125 beats and above.

Techno

It originated in the 80s of the 20th century in Detroit. After a short time, the style was picked up by DJs in Europe. If in America the trend was rather underground in nature, then in Great Britain it broke out like an avalanche. Mechanical rhythms, artificial sound, repeated repetition of musical phrases - all this characterizes the techno style. The tempo is 135-145 beats per minute.

Once again about the main thing

Many musicians in different times liked to experiment with musical directions and their pace. For orientation in time space while playing a musical instrument, a metronome is used. What is true, this is very relative, because music, although closely related to mathematics, is still distinguished by the presence of a soul. And the soul, in turn, depends on the musician’s presentation. So, experiment, feel and enjoy art.

This article will be of interest to those who want to learn more about musical tempo. After reading it, you will be able to familiarize yourself with the properties of different tempos, and also learn about how the tempo of music can affect people.

1. What is the tempo of music and where did this concept come from?

The word "tempo" comes from Italian word Tempo, which in turn comes from the Latin word “Temps” - time.

Tempo in music is called speed. musical process; speed of movement (change) of metric units. Tempo determines absolute speed, with which the piece of music is performed.

Basic tempos in classical music (in ascending order):
Grave, largo, adagio, lento (slow tempos); andante, moderato (moderate tempos); animato, allegro, vivo, presto (fast tempo). Some genres (waltz, march) are characterized by a certain tempo. A metronome is used to accurately measure tempo.

2. Tempos and tempo notations in classical music

The main musical tempos (in ascending order) are:

• largo (very slow and wide);
• adagio (slow, calm);
• andante (at a calm pace);
• moderato (moderately, restrained);
• allegretto (quite lively);
• allegro (quickly);
• vivache (quickly, lively);
• presto (very quickly).

Partially based on the book: Malter L., Tables on instrumentation. - M., 1964.

3. The effects of music on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems depend on its tempo

Dr. Luciano Bernardi and his colleagues (University of Pavia, Italy) studied the response of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems (CVS, RS) to changes in music in 12 practicing musicians and 12 age-matched individuals from other professions (control group). After 20 minutes of quiet rest, CVS and RS parameters were assessed. Then they listened to 6 musical fragments of different styles, 2 and 4 minutes each, following in random order. Each fragment contained a randomly placed pause of 2 minutes.

They found that respiratory rate (RR), blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and the ratio of low to high frequency heart rate variability (HF/HF, a measure of sympathetic activation) increased with faster music tempos and with simple rhythms, compared to the original values. At the same time, the blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery and baroreflex parameters decreased. Compared to non-musicians, musicians breathed more frequently at faster music tempos and had a lower baseline RR. The style of music and personal preferences of the participants did not have the same effect as the tempo or rhythm of the music. The decrease in blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate and LF/HF after a 2-minute pause in a musical fragment was more pronounced than after 5 minutes of initial relaxation.

According to the authors, specially selected music, which alternates fast, slow tempo and pauses, can cause relaxation, reduce sympathetic activity and, thus, act as a component of complex therapy for cardiovascular diseases. In an editorial in the same issue of Heart, Dr Peter Larsen and Dr D Galletly (Wellington School of Medicine, New Zealand) suggest that trained musicians are more sensitive to changes in music tempo and therefore have a stronger correlation between musical tempo. and NPV.

4. Electronic music tempos

In our time classical music faded into the background a little. Therefore, we present to your attention the tempos of electronic music by direction.

Trance- this is the style of electronic dance music, which developed in the 90s. Distinctive features style are: tempo from 130 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). Trance usually uses a straight beat.

Trance substyles:
Full on- 140-150 beats per minute (bpm)
Psy- 146-155 (bpm)
Dark- 160 or more beats per minute.

Drum and bass- genre of electronic music. Originally an offshoot of the British breakbeat and rave scene, drum and bass emerged when musicians began mixing the bass of reggae with the uptempo breakbeat of hip-hop. In general, there is no significant difference between the terms “drum and bass” and “jungle”. Some people call old records from the first half of the 90s jungle, while drum and bass is considered to be significantly evolved jungle with new post-techstep elements. For many people, the pace of this trend is initially difficult to grasp. Because the broken rhythms can make it very difficult to determine the tempo of this style. The spread of pace in this direction is probably one of the largest. Drum and bass sounds start from 140 beats per minute (usually old school) and can reach as much as 200. The tempo in this style can be easily determined by the snare drum.

House is a genre of electronic music originated by dance DJs in the early 1980s in Chicago. House is heavily influenced by some elements of the 1970s soul genre and the Disco style of dance music. House is created by mixing the relief drum bass of the Disco genre and a new type of “heavy” (bass, beats, various sound effects, etc.). Disputes about the origin of the name are still ongoing. of this style. But on this moment The central version is that the name comes from the Chicago club Warehouse, where DJ Frankie Knuckles mixed classic disco with European synth-pop, adding his own rhythms to it using a Roland 909 drum machine. The tempo of this music is quite static. It usually hovers around 130 beats.

Techno is a genre of electronic music that originated in the mid-1980s in and around Detroit and was subsequently picked up by European producers. It is characterized by artificiality of sound, emphasis on mechanical rhythms, repeated repetition structural elements musical work. Techno is characterized by a tempo of 135 beats to 145 beats per minute. “Techno is music that sounds like technology,” says Juan Atkins, one of the genre's founders. In fact, in the US, techno music was only an underground phenomenon, but in the UK it burst into the main music scene of the country in the late 1980s. This style of music was also very popular in other countries.

About 20 years ago, a style appeared in electronic music culture that became an offshoot of techno music. The name of this style is Hardcore.

Hardcore. Anyone who was into electronic music in the 90s should remember the well-known Thunderdome rave, which gathered a huge number of people in Holland who came to hardcore raves. But this style of music was extremely popular not only in this country, but also in Germany and other European countries.

Breakcore- This is a fairly recently emerged genre. Probably the youngest among all genres that use broken rhythm. Tempos in this style are striking both in terms of bpm and in their tempo in general. The smallest tempo in breakcore is as much as 220 beats per minute, which is much more than any other style of electronic music and can reach absolutely cosmic values. There are some known compositions in this style, which have a value of 666 bpm.

Electro- short for Electro funk (also known as robot hip hop), is a style of electronic music that takes its roots from hip-hop. Kraftwerk and funk had a very big influence on the style. Music in this style sounds very electronic (“computer-like”), the creators of such music try not to use the sounds of living nature, even the vocals are usually distorted to give a “darker” and “mechanical” tone. Therefore, the performers’ works are imbued with the ideas of robots, nuclear physics, computers, future technologies, and in many ways the development of this style is facilitated by science fiction. Electro has a tempo that is approximately the same as house music. From 125 beats and a little more - this is electro.

The last style of electronic music that I would like to pay attention to is Breaks.

Breaks- A very interesting style, in my opinion, but I’ll be brief. The entire break culture, including this trend, arose as a result historical event. If I'm not mistaken, in 1969 the Winstons came up with the song "Amen brother", in which the broken drum loop, now known to everyone as part of breakbeat music, first appeared. Now it is called amen break. It is very often used in drum'n'bass. In breaks she no longer looks like herself, and it’s not her anymore, but the basis of this style is precisely the broken rhythms that originate so long ago. Their tempos became slower and more pumping. The pace has become lower than that of its predecessor directions. Break music is played at a tempo of approximately 120-130 bpm. If it were bigger, she would lose all her drive.

I think I’ll end here, since other styles of electronic music are, in my opinion, more experimental or less relevant.