- In saxophone playing, it is important not to rigidly think of Allegro as fixed at 120. Valuing the original meaning of musical terms leads to more musical performances
- The musical term Allegro means "lively and brisk," and being too fixated on metronome numbers can create a feeling of rushing beyond lively in your playing
- When practicing etudes and other exercises, it is effective to avoid being overly fixated on the tempo of 120, and instead prioritize the original meaning of Allegro—the spirit of "lively and brisk" in your practice
- Even when Allegro is written at the top left of the score, when the tempo becomes unrealistically fast, it is important to prioritize the meaning of the musical term over the numerical tempo value
In saxophone playing, how you interpret the tempo markings and metronome values written in sheet music is a crucial element that greatly affects the quality of your performance. Many players tend to see the musical term Allegro written at the top left of the score, along with the tempo marking of 120 beside it, and rigidly think of it as Allegro = 120. However, being too fixated on this kind of rigid thinking can lead to performing at unrealistically fast speeds or losing sight of the original meaning of the musical term. By properly understanding how to interpret tempo markings and learning a performance approach that leverages the meaning of musical terms, you can achieve more musical and expressive saxophone playing.
The Concept of Tempo Markings: The Relationship Between Musical Terms and the Metronome
Sheet music contains tempo information in two forms. One is verbal instructions called musical terms, such as Allegro, Andante, and Adagio. The other is numerical metronome markings, such as 120, 60, and 80. In saxophone playing, it is important to properly understand the relationship between these two. On a standard metronome—the box-shaped pendulum type—the tempo 120 is often written next to Allegro in the middle, but please avoid thinking of Allegro as strictly equal to 120. Musical terms are not merely tempo instructions; they are words that express the character and atmosphere of the music. The musical term Allegro means "lively and brisk," and it signifies not just playing fast, but performing with a bright and energetic atmosphere.
Metronome values are simply a guideline for tempo as a reference and do not fully represent the meaning of the musical term. There are times when a score indicates Allegro at 120, and after practicing at that tempo, the speed simply becomes unrealistically fast. In such cases, being too constrained by the metronome value often results in a feeling that goes beyond "lively" into an excessively rushed atmosphere. To correctly interpret tempo markings in saxophone playing, it is important to adopt the mindset of understanding the original meaning of the musical term and treating the metronome value as merely a reference.
Feeling the Meaning of Musical Terms: A Practical Approach in Saxophone Playing
In saxophone playing, to truly feel the meaning of musical terms in your actual performance, it is effective to prioritize the original meaning of Allegro—the spirit of "lively and brisk" when practicing etudes and other exercises. By not equating Allegro too rigidly with 120 and instead prioritizing the atmosphere of "lively and brisk," you can achieve more musical and natural expression. This approach is especially important in technical practice such as etudes, where being too fixated on metronome values can prevent you from focusing on technical challenges.
To truly feel the meaning of musical terms, a practical approach of actually trying to play a particular phrase at tempo 120 is effective. At this point, rather than simply matching the number 120, performing while being conscious of the "lively and brisk" atmosphere that Allegro conveys allows you to understand the true meaning of tempo markings. In saxophone playing, this kind of experiential learning can simultaneously improve both your ability to read sheet music and your musical expressiveness, leading to a deeper understanding.
Causes and Solutions
Here we provide a detailed explanation of common problems that many players encounter when interpreting tempo markings, along with their solutions. We introduce specific approaches for resolving issues such as rigidly equating Allegro with 120, performing at unrealistically fast speeds, and losing sight of the meaning of musical terms.
Problem 1: Rigidly Equating Allegro with 120
When Allegro is written at the top left of the score with the tempo 120 beside it, the problem of rigidly equating Allegro with 120 arises. This fixed mindset leads to being too constrained by the metronome value in your playing, causing you to lose sight of the original meaning of the musical term. Particularly in saxophone playing, this kind of rigid thinking narrows the range of musical expression.
Solution: It is important to avoid thinking of Allegro as strictly equal to 120. Understand that musical terms are not merely tempo instructions but words that express the character and atmosphere of the music, and recognize that metronome values are simply a guideline for tempo as a reference. In saxophone playing, by adopting the mindset of understanding the original meaning of the musical term and treating the metronome value as merely a reference, more musical performances become possible.
Problem 2: Performing at Unrealistically Fast Speeds
When a score indicates Allegro at 120, and after practicing at that tempo, the problem arises that the speed simply becomes unrealistically fast. This is caused by being too constrained by the metronome value in your playing, where numerical accuracy is prioritized over the original meaning of the musical term—the atmosphere of "lively and brisk."
Solution: It is effective to prioritize the original meaning of Allegro—the spirit of "lively and brisk" when practicing etudes and other exercises in particular. By not equating Allegro too rigidly with 120 and instead prioritizing the atmosphere of "lively and brisk," you can find a realistic and musical tempo. In saxophone playing, this approach leads to finding an appropriate tempo that allows you to focus on technical challenges, enabling more effective practice.
Problem 3: Losing Sight of the Meaning of Musical Terms
By concentrating too much on metronome values, the problem of losing sight of the original meaning of musical terms arises. Despite the musical term Allegro meaning "lively and brisk," being too constrained by numbers in your playing often results in a feeling that goes beyond "lively" into an excessively rushed atmosphere. This is a problem that stems from prioritizing numerical accuracy over the meaning of the musical term.
Solution: It is important to understand the original meaning of musical terms and reflect that in your performance. Recognize that the musical term Allegro means not just playing fast, but performing with a bright and energetic atmosphere. In saxophone playing, performing while being conscious of the meaning of musical terms enables more musical and expressive performances. Treat metronome values as merely a reference, and it is important to prioritize the atmosphere of the musical term in your playing.
- ① Understand the meaning of musical terms: Allegro means "lively and brisk," and recognize that it is not merely a tempo instruction but a word that expresses the character and atmosphere of the music
- ② Treat metronome values as merely a reference: Avoid thinking of Allegro as strictly equal to 120, and understand that metronome values are simply a guideline for tempo as a reference
- ③ Prioritize the atmosphere of musical terms in your playing: Prioritize the original meaning of Allegro—the spirit of "lively and brisk" when practicing etudes and other exercises, and prioritize the atmosphere of "lively and brisk" in your performance
- ④ Experience it through a practical approach: Through the practice of actually trying to play a particular phrase at tempo 120, perform while being conscious of the meaning of musical terms to gain a deeper understanding
In saxophone playing, how you interpret the tempo markings and metronome values written in sheet music is a crucial element that greatly affects the quality of your performance. It is important to avoid rigidly equating Allegro with 120, and by honoring the original meaning of the musical term—the atmosphere of "lively and brisk"—more musical performances become possible. Being too constrained by metronome values in your playing often results in a feeling that goes beyond "lively" into an excessively rushed atmosphere, so it is important to adopt the mindset of understanding the original meaning of the musical term and treating the metronome value as merely a reference. By prioritizing the original meaning of Allegro—the spirit of "lively and brisk" when practicing etudes and other exercises, you can find a realistic and musical tempo, and find an appropriate tempo that allows you to focus on technical challenges. By properly understanding how to interpret tempo markings and learning a performance approach that leverages the meaning of musical terms, you can achieve more musical and expressive saxophone playing.
