Perform music with accuracyTempo and flow

In order to communicate the sense of a piece of music, it is important to maintain an overall flow and consistent tempo when performing. The tempo of a piece is usually found at the beginning of the music.

Some examples of tempo symbols are:

• adagio - slow
• andante - at a walking/medium pace
• moderato - at a moderate speed
• allegro - quick

It is a good idea to practice at a slow tempo during the early stages of learning a piece of music. Once you can play it accurately, gradually increase the tempo and repeat the process. This will help you achieve an accurate, confident and fluent performance.

Unless instructed otherwise, you should aim to keep the tempo constant throughout the music. On occasion, you can be asked to change the tempo, eg gradually get faster/slower or change to a different tempo entirely. This will be clearly marked in the music using one of the following terms:

• accelerando - gradually getting faster
• rallentando - gradually getting slower
• ritardando - gradually getting slower
• a tempo - return to the original speed
• rubato - with some freedom of time to allow for expression

Tempo changes should be performed convincingly like the accelerando in ‘Come On Eileen’ by Dexys Midnight Runners.

Sometimes tempo changes work together with changes in dynamics. This example of rallentando from 'Pictures at an Exhibition' by Mussorgsky works well in combination with diminuendo, ie the music getting quieter.

Romantic music contains a lot of rubato as is demonstrated in this excerpt from Rachmaninoff's ‘Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini’.

Lots of space is created within the music - the beat/pulse is at times held back, then pushed forward. Alternating the tempo of a piece of music can affect the listener’s emotions and feelings.