Tempo
What Tempo means in Music GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Tempo
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Tempo in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Words such as fast and slow describe this element of music, which is distinct from pitch.
The speed of the music, kept separate from metre and rhythm.
The speed of the music, which may be slow, quick or lively.
Topics that use Tempo
- Appendix 3: Musical vocabulary - Organisation of pitch (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Appendix 3: Musical vocabulary - Tempo, metre and rhythm (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Component 3: Appraising - Musical elements (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Texture
- 12-bar blues
- Aural identification
- Basic modulation and its signals
- Bass line
- Broken chord
- Cadence types and their effect
- Chord sequences
Using Tempo in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Music questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge