The most common tempos, from slowest to fastest can be found in the table below.
The bpm (beats per minute) are based on the 1/4 note.
| Beats per minute | Italian | English |
| <40 | Grave | Even more slowly |
| 40-60 | Largo | Very slow |
| 60-66 | Larghetto | Slightly faster than largo |
| 66-76 | Adiago | Slow, at ease |
| 76-108 | Andante | At a walking pace |
| 108-120 | Moderato | Moderately fast |
| 120-168 | Allegro | Fast, march tempo |
| 168-200 | Presto | Very fast |
| >200 | Prestissimo | Extremely fast |