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A note value, an equals sign and a number, fixing the tempo exactly.
Also known as: MM marking, BPM marking, Note equals number
A note picture, an equals sign and a number fix the tempo in beats per minute. It is the only tempo instruction in notation that is not a matter of interpretation.
States the tempo exactly, as the number of the given note value occurring in one minute.
Contexts: Music
Is the only tempo instruction that is not interpretive, unlike Italian words such as allegro which describe character as much as speed.
Contexts: Music
Was written MM after Mälzel's Metronome, patented in 1815, which is why old scores carry those initials.
Contexts: Music
A small drawing of a note, followed by an equals sign and a numeral, set above the staff at the start of a passage.
The note value in the marking is usually a quarter note.