Larghetto is an Italian tempo marking meaning “rather broad”. It is usually played at about 60–66 BPM. Larghetto is the diminutive of Largo: still slow and broad, but a little lighter and quicker. The metronome on this page starts at 63 BPM, in the middle of the range.
How fast is Larghetto?
Larghetto is roughly 60–66 beats per minute. At 60 BPM one beat lasts 1,000 ms; at 66 BPM it lasts 909 ms. Reference books and metronome makers print slightly different ranges, so treat these as conventions rather than rules.
Beat lengths across the Larghetto range
Tempo
Quarter note
Eighth note
One bar of 4/4
60 BPM
1,000 ms
500 ms
4.00 s
63 BPM
952 ms
476 ms
3.81 s
66 BPM
909 ms
455 ms
3.64 s
What does Larghetto mean?
Larghetto translates as “rather broad”. Larghetto is the diminutive of Largo: still slow and broad, but a little lighter and quicker.
Larghetto compared with neighbouring markings
Lento (40–60 BPM) is the next marking slower. Adagio (66–76 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 Larghetto
Larghetto sits close to one beat per second. That makes it a useful tempo for checking how evenly you place notes when you have time to think about each one.