Allegro is an Italian tempo marking meaning “cheerful, lively”. It is usually played at about 120–156 BPM. Allegro means lively and bright. It is the most common fast marking and covers a wide range of speeds. The metronome on this page starts at 132 BPM, in the middle of the range.
How fast is Allegro?
Allegro is roughly 120–156 beats per minute. At 120 BPM one beat lasts 500 ms; at 156 BPM it lasts 385 ms. Reference books and metronome makers print slightly different ranges, so treat these as conventions rather than rules.
Beat lengths across the Allegro range
Tempo
Quarter note
Eighth note
One bar of 4/4
120 BPM
500 ms
250 ms
2.00 s
132 BPM
455 ms
227 ms
1.82 s
156 BPM
385 ms
192 ms
1.54 s
What does Allegro mean?
Allegro translates as “cheerful, lively”. Allegro means lively and bright. It is the most common fast marking and covers a wide range of speeds.
Allegro compared with neighbouring markings
Allegretto (112–120 BPM) is the next marking slower. Vivace (156–176 BPM) is the next marking faster. Ranges overlap at the edges, which is why a tempo such as 120 BPM can be described as either Moderato or Allegro.
Practising at Allegro
At Allegro tempos small hesitations become audible. Loop the hardest bar, raise the tempo two to four BPM after three clean takes, and use a drum groove to check that the music still feels settled.