MusicMusic That Goes Fast or Slow
Melody, the music guide, stands in a sunny music room, clapping her hands quickly to a bouncy song, then slowing her claps way down to match a gentle lullaby playing on a small speaker nearby.
- Identify when music is moving fast or slow by listening and clapping along.
- Explain that the word tempo means how fast or slow music goes.
- Compare a fast tempo and a slow tempo using body movements.
- Sort familiar songs into fast or slow groups by their tempo.
Key terms
- Tempo
- How fast or slow the beat of the music moves along.
- Beat
- The steady tap or pulse you feel underneath the music.
- Fast tempo
- When the beats come quickly, one right after another.
- Slow tempo
- When the beats come slowly, with more time between each one.
- Beats per minute
- A way of counting how many beats happen in one minute.
What Tempo Means
Tempo is the speed of the beat in music. A fast tempo has beats that arrive close together, so the song feels busy and energetic. A slow tempo has beats that arrive far apart, so the song feels calm and gentle. Tempo is only about speed — it does not tell you how loud the song is or what instruments are playing. The very same melody can be played fast or slow, and it will feel completely different each way.
Feeling Tempo With Your Body
The easiest way to find a tempo is to move with it. Tap your foot, clap your hands, or nod your head along to the steady beat. When your taps come quickly and close together, the tempo is fast. When your taps come slowly with big spaces between them, the tempo is slow. Musicians sometimes use a clicking tool called a metronome to keep one exact tempo, so the whole band stays together and nobody speeds up or slows down by accident.
Why Musicians Choose a Tempo
Musicians pick a tempo on purpose to share a feeling. A fast tempo can make a song feel exciting, happy, or full of energy, like a dance party or a race. A slow tempo can make a song feel peaceful, sad, or sleepy, like a lullaby at bedtime. Choosing the right tempo is one of the first big decisions a songwriter makes, because the speed shapes how the whole song feels to the people listening.
Worked examples
Two songs are playing. Which one has the faster tempo?
- Listen to Song A and tap your foot with the beat: tap-tap-tap-tap, very quick and close together.
- Listen to Song B and tap your foot with the beat: tap... tap... tap, slow with big gaps between taps.
- Compare how fast your foot was moving for each song.
- The song where your foot moved quickest has the faster tempo.
Answer: Song A has the faster tempo, because its beats came quickly and close together.
Count how many claps fit in a slow tempo versus a fast tempo.
- Set a slow tempo and clap once each time you slowly say 'one... two... three... four'.
- Now set a fast tempo and clap twice as quickly for the same 'one-two-three-four'.
- Notice that in the fast tempo you fit more claps into the same amount of time.
Answer: The fast tempo fits more claps into the same time because its beats move quicker.
Activity
Listen to each song clip, or read its description, and drag it to the fast or slow pile.
Practice
Listen to a song you like and tap your foot, then decide if its tempo is fast or slow.
March quickly to show a fast tempo, then sway slowly to show a slow tempo.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Loud music always has a fast tempo.Loudness and tempo are different — a song can be loud and slow, or quiet and fast.
- A quiet bedtime song has no tempo.Every song has a tempo, even slow quiet ones; this lullaby simply has a slow tempo.
Check your understanding
What does the word tempo mean in music?
Melody claps along with a song and her hands move very quickly. What can she say about this song?
A lullaby is a soft song that helps babies fall asleep. What kind of tempo does a lullaby most likely have?
Recap
Tempo means how fast or slow the beat of the music moves. A fast tempo has beats close together and feels energetic, while a slow tempo has beats far apart and feels calm. You can feel any tempo by tapping along with the steady beat.
Reflect
Think of a song that makes you want to move — is its tempo fast or slow?