Tempo markings · Changing speed
Accelerando
Accelerando (accel.) means getting faster. Hear the same tune played straight, then with a accelerando.
The opening of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. Watch the BPM as it plays.
What it means
Gradually faster, until the music says a tempo, gives a new tempo, or ends. It's written accel., often with a dotted line showing how long it lasts.
Stringendo means pressing forward, faster and more intense; più mosso means more movement, a little faster at once rather than gradually.
Where you'll meet it
Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King is the classic accelerando: the same tune again and again, faster and faster, to a frenzy.
Other words for changing speed
| Word | Written | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ritardando | rit. or ritard. | slowing down |
| Accelerando | accel. | getting faster |
| Rubato | rubato or tempo rubato | “robbed” time: stretching and catching up |
| A tempo | a tempo | back to the original speed |
| Rallentando | rall. | gradually slower (like ritardando) |
| Ritenuto | riten. | held back: slower at once |
| Stringendo | string. | pressing on: faster and more intense |
| Più mosso / meno mosso | faster / slower, at once | |
| Tempo primo | Tempo I | back to the speed at the start |
Shaping the tempo on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a slowing-down that comes too late. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What does Accelerando mean in music?
Gradually faster, until the music says a tempo, gives a new tempo, or ends.
How is Accelerando written?
Accel..