AoS1 Base Vocabulary: Tempo, Rhythm and Dynamics
Learn the base musical vocabulary examiners expect: the Italian tempo terms for speed, the patterns of rhythm, and the markings that control dynamics.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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The base musical elements
Before you can describe a piece of music, you need the vocabulary. Three base elements come up in almost every question: tempo (the speed), rhythm (the pattern of notes in time), and dynamics (how loud or quiet it is). This module gives you the words examiners expect for all three. Many use Italian terms, which are a shared musical language.
Three elements plus one
Learn these four words first; everything else hangs off them.
Match the tempo term
- Allegro
- Adagio
- Andante
- Presto
- Fast
- Slow
- At a walking pace
- Very fast
Which means fast?
Which Italian tempo term tells a musician to play fast?
- Allegro
- Adagio
- Largo
- Andante
Slow tempos and fast tempos
Italian tempo terms sit on a scale from very slow to very fast. Learn where each one belongs.
Match the dynamic marking
- p
- pp
- f
- ff
- Quiet
- Very quiet
- Loud
- Very loud
Reading dynamics
Dynamics use Italian words and their letters. p stands for piano and means quiet; f stands for forte and means loud. Add a second letter for the extremes: pp is very quiet and ff is very loud. A crescendo means get gradually louder, and a diminuendo means get gradually quieter.
Allegro, and how loud
The speed of music is its _____. A very fast Italian tempo term is _____. The volume of music is its _____. The marking f means _____, and a _____ tells you to get gradually louder.
Spot the tempo terms
Which of these are tempo terms, describing speed? Choose all that apply.
- Allegro
- Adagio
- Andante
- Forte
- Crescendo
Which are dynamics?
Tap the two statements that are about dynamics, the volume of the music.
- The marking forte tells you to play loudly.
- The marking piano tells you to play quietly.
- Allegro tells you to play fast.
- Adagio tells you to play slowly.
Slowest to fastest
Put these tempo terms in order from the slowest to the fastest.
- Largo
- Adagio
- Andante
- Moderato
- Allegro
- Presto
What does pp mean?
A score is marked pp. What does that tell the musician to do?
- Play very quietly
- Play very loudly
- Play very fast
- Play very slowly
Guiding the players
A composer wants a particular effect. Choose the marking that gives it.
- The composer wants a very loud, powerful climax. Which marking?
- The composer wants the music to get gradually louder. Which term?
- The composer wants a slow, calm opening. Which tempo?
Tempo, rhythm and dynamics
Explain how tempo, rhythm and dynamics each change the way a piece of music sounds. Give one example term for each.
- Explain what tempo is and give one tempo term
- Explain what dynamics are and give one dynamic marking
- Explain what rhythm involves