Tempo. What's that all about?

Every piece of music you hear has a tempo, but what does tempo actually mean?

Tempo is the Italian word for time and, in the context of music, determines the speed at which a piece is performed.

When talking about music, we use the word 'tempo' to describe the speed of the underlying pulse in the music you play (or hear). An easy way to think of tempo is to simply picture it as the speed that you tap your foot along to the music.

Let's hear some examples...

Here is a short extract of music with a fast tempo. Tap your foot along to the pulse as you listen:

....and here is an examples of music with a slow tempo. Tap your foot along to the pulse as you listen: