In music notation, the tempo indicates the speed of the music. It is written just above the staff. Some tempo is specified at the start of the piece, usually just above the first clef, but it can be changed at any point.
Allegro
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/| 4
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| | | 4
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Some contemporary songs are specified with a tempo using plain English: "march tempo", "driving rock", and so forth. However, a set of Italian words has long been established as an international standard notation. They include, but are not limited to:
These words indicate only a general sense of the speed of the piece. They do not refer to a specific number of beats per minute, only a range which can be broadly defined.
In addition, these words are used mid-piece when the tempo is to change gradually, and are placed above the staff the same as other tempo indicators wherever needed: