We have already looked at tempo: the ability to play in varying tempi, speed up or slow down while playing, or play freely, with totally flexible timing.
Overall tempo within a section of music is indicated by a metronome marking indicating the tempo in beats per minute (bpm). As we have seen in previous chapters, this is usually written as the note value representing 1 beat in the time signature followed by = and a metronome number.
Other terms and symbols are used to indicate changes in tempo within a piece. The list below is of the more common of these.
The dashed line following terms which indicate gradual tempo change extends over the number of bars or beats over which the change occurs. Tempo markings that describe an overall tempo are listed in Character Markings And Their Tempo Ranges.
Tempo Change Flyover
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