Tempo markings
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The musical terminology tempo means the speed or pace of a composition. Musicians use tempo markings/marks to indicate tempo. Supported tempo markings include:
Metronome marks: Consists of a note, an equals sign, and a whole number.
indicates 80 minims (half note) per minute.
indicates 80 quarter notes (crotchets) per minute.
Verbal tempo indications: Andante, Allegro, "a tempo", "tempo primo" etc.
Tempo change lines: Consists of a text and a dashed line. Includes "accel.", "allarg.", "rall.", and "rit.".
Metric modulations:
Musescore's synthesizer paces based on two settings:
The real, written tempo of score. It is only determined by tempo markings on the score. Section breaks and barlines do not reset anything. If no tempo marking is present on a score, it plays as if ♩ = 120 is used (120 crotchets or quarter notes in one minute).
Playback follows written content by default only when note and augmentation dot professional glyphs are used. User can also use an overriding setting.
Musescore does not understand the written content. These items have pre-defined tempo setting. In Musescore 4.2 beta's Tempo palette, by default:
accel.: Gradually speeds up to 133% of the original tempo
allarg.: Gradually slows down to 75% of the original tempo. The italian allargando means widen.
rall.: Gradually slows down to 75% of the original tempo
rit.: Gradually slows down to 75% of the original tempo
Musescore does not understand the written content. In Musescore 4.2 beta's Tempo palette, by default:
"a tempo" item: Changes tempo back the latest tempo before any change by tempo change lines.
tempo primo item: Changes tempo back to that indicated by the first valid marking.
Other verbal tempo indication items have pre-defined tempo setting.
Tempo markings affect playback of all staffs on a score.
To add a Metronome mark, Verbal tempo indication, or Metric modulation onto the score, use one of the following methods:
Select a note/rest and click an item in a palette.
Drag the item from a palette onto a note/rest.
From the menu bar, select Add→Text, and click on Tempo marking.
To add a Metronome mark that use a suitable note value by using the beat information from the time signature:
Select a note/rest and press the keyboard shortcut Alt+Shift+T.
Either
Select a note or rest, for creation of Tempo object with "Staff Text Line" behavior, or
Select a measure for creation of Tempo object with "System Text Line" behavior;
Shift+Click the last.
Click an item in the palette.
Playback can be configured to follow written content of Metronome mark and Metric modulation. Musescore only understand note and augmentation dot professional glyphs. Do not copy or use unicode characters from other programs or the internet. The augmentation dot is not a "Full stop / period" on the computer keyboard.
Select an object.
Type text.
Select an object.
Use Special characters window: Common symbols tab, one way to open the window is Shift+F2
To change the predefined tempo setting:
Select object(s)
Under Tempo section
To assign a manual / overriding tempo setting:
Select object(s)
Under Tempo or A Tempo or Tempo primo section, click to change:
Follow written tempo : uncheck to ignore written content on the score
Set specific tempo : check to ignore written content on the score
To change the manual tempo setting:
Select object(s)
Click Playback, change any if required:
Amount: Target tempo as a percentage of original tempo. 100% means no change.
Easing Methods: Rate of tempo change, options are
Normal : a linear transition effect with the same rate of change from start to end
Ease in : a transition effect with a slow change rate at the start but a quicker change rate at the end
Ease out : a transition effect with a quick change rate at the start but a slow change rate at the end
Values of the "Musical symbols font" can be edited in Format→Style→Score.
Values of the "Style for Tempo text" can be edited in Format→Style→Tempo text.
Values of the "Style for text inside Tempo" can be edited in Format→Style→Text styles→Tempo
Values of the "Style for text inside Gradual Tempo Change" can be edited in Format→Style→Text styles→Gradual Tempo Change
The control slider that change pace temporarily, intended for monitoring purpose. See chapter.
Musicians use tempo markings to indicate the value of one beat, but Musescore does not use the beat information inside tempo markings. Beat information is obtained from only.
Tempo markings are Musescore Text, except tempo change lines are Musescore Line that contains Text, see and chapter.
The and use a special unit "BPM". "BPM" is the amount of quarter notes would have been within one minute in decimal number. It is not related to the musical beat. It is not the whole number used in metronome marks conventionally, or on the score.
The tempo changes along the object's anchored range, see chapter.
The setting is changable, see section.
All of these settings are changable, see section.
All markings are found in the Tempo palette, see chapter.
New Tempo change line is positioned on top of a staff, like does. It only appears in the "FullScore" and the "Part" that features the staff. All other new tempo markings are positioned on top of system, like does. System is a layout term, see chapter).
See also for alternative method utilizing a 3rd-party font.
To add a Tempo change line, use the methods explained in the chapter. One common method is to add it to a selected range:
Other characters and numbers are plain characters, entered using (typing on) a computer keyboard. They have different formatting behaviors, for example changing the Properties panel:Font does not affect glyphs, see musescore 3 handbook chapter. See also chapter.
Enter (double click)
Enter (double click).
Tempo change lines are Musescore Line. To change appearence of the dashed line, see and chapters.
Open the
Enter a value in Override written tempo, this value use the special BPM unit, see .
Open the
Enter a value in Override written tempo, this value use the special BPM unit, see .
Open the
Tempo change lines are Musescore Line. The tempo changes along the object's anchored range. To change the range, see and chapters.
A tempo marking's layout and default positioning depends on how it is added, see section.
For tempo markings that behave like "System Text" or "System Text Line", there is a special method to mirror the object, see chapter.
Selected tempo markings(s) on a score can be edited with , settings are already covered in other sections of this chapter. The Properties panel: Font property affects plain characters, but not the professional glyphs. Professional glyphs use "Musical symbols font", see section. Text related settings are covered in chapter. Line related settings are covered in chapter.
To edit the score-wide settings, see section.
See main chapter
Values of the "Style for text Metronome" can be edited in Format→Style→Text styles→Metronome. No object uses this profile by default, its purpose is for styling Tempo markings which have both a verbal indication part and a metronome mark part. Often the metronome mark part is non-bold and a little smaller. Source:
github "a tempo"
create advanced metric modulation text with "Metrico" font by Florian Kretlow,
