Tempo
How does one determine the tempo for say Allegretto in terms of beats per minute and for different time signatures. Although I can get a value of bpm off the Internet, I don't know when to use the crotchet or quaver etc. as the basis for beats per minute, say for 6/8 time or anything other than 4/4 time where the crotchet is standard, Thanking you in anticipation of a reply.
Comments
Try using the metronome feature during playback, as an aide to determine the basis for beats per minute.
Regards.
BPM equates to quarter-notes (crotchets) per minute and not to beats of the conductor's baton. In 2/4 and 4/4 time 120 BPM gives you 120 crotchets per minute. If you were writing a march, say, in 6/8 and wanted the tempo to sound the same then you would need to set BPM to 180 because that would give you 180 crotchets per minute = 360 quavers per minute = 120 groups of three quavers or dotted crotchets.
In reply to BPM equates to quarter-notes… by underquark
For a 6/8 time signature, is one tempo marking preferred over another?
(That's a dotted quarter = 80 in the upper staff.)
See image below:
![Tempo_test.png]( "Tempo_test.png")
Regards.
In reply to For a 6/8 time signature, is… by Jm6stringer
Typically, metronome markings use whatever note duration corresponds to one beat. In 6/8 (or 9/8 or 12/8), that's a dotted-quarter. In 2/2 (cut time), it's a half note. That might be considered standard.
In reply to Typically, metronome… by WilsonE7
Typically, metronome markings use whatever note duration corresponds to one beat.
Sound logic... ;-)
Thanks.
I look for this piece on You Tube, for me, it's 128/mn. We are in 2 times, in the beginning in 6/8 and after in 2/4, but always 2 times, beginning in "ternaire" in French, like Swing, and after in "binaire" like rock. The tempo is the same, 1 beat for 1 time, so I write for the beginning : Dotted quater note with 128, and quater note with 128 for the end and it's OK