How to add, change, or remove tempo marks and tempo words in Flat

Where do I find the tempo tool?

The tempo tool lives in the left panel: open the Notation tab and go to the Tempo section. It writes a tempo mark on the measure your cursor is in, or across the measures you selected before opening it.

Feature	Where to find it	Icon
Tempo marks	Notation tab, Tempo section

How do I add a new tempo mark (BPM)?

Open the Notation tab in the left panel, go to the Tempo section, click the tempo tool (♩ =), enter the desired tempo and click Save. If you haven't selected anything, the new tempo will be used until the next tempo mark or the end of the score. If you only want to change the tempo for several measures, select those measures before entering the new tempo.

How do I change an existing tempo mark?

You can change an existing tempo mark by clicking on the mark in the score and inputting the new tempo, or by using the tempo tool in the Tempo section of the Notation tab. The new value then applies from that mark onwards, exactly like a tempo you add.

How do I remove a tempo mark?

To remove a tempo mark, click on the mark, then press Backspace or Delete, or click the bin in the tempo panel. Removing the mark takes its value out of the score, tempo word included; to put a different one in its place, add a new tempo mark from the Tempo section of the Notation tab.

How do I change the beat unit?

The beat unit is the note value the BPM figure counts — a quarter note, a dotted quarter, and so on. You can change it by clicking on the existing beat unit and choosing the new one, without having to re-enter the tempo value itself.

How do I hear the tempo or see its textual equivalent?

When you insert or change a tempo mark, click on the audio button in the popover. This will display the complete interface with the textual tempo marks and play a preview of the new tempo with our metronome, so you can judge the speed before applying it.

How do I add a tempo word like Allegro?

A tempo word in Flat is part of the measure's tempo mark: the word is printed in bold above the top staff, with its ♩ = BPM underneath, and playback follows that BPM. You pick the word from a list in the tempo panel, and it fills in the usual BPM for that word, which you can still change.

1

Open the tempo panel

Put the cursor in the measure, or click an existing tempo mark. In the Notation tab, open the Tempo section and click the tempo tool (♩ =).

2

Pick a word

Open the list on the left of the panel, which reads No text, and pick a word. Its BPM fills in; change it or the beat unit if you need to.

3

Save

Click Save. The word appears above the top staff with its BPM, in the score and in every part, and applies until the next tempo mark.

Flat offers eleven tempo words, each with the BPM it fills in:

You can also type the word in Quick Search to place it on the measure of the cursor straight away. To remove only the word and keep the BPM, open the panel and pick No text; to remove the whole mark, select it and press Backspace.

A word that is not in the list, such as Allegro con brio or Tempo di valse, is still written as Expression text with the annotation tool. It prints on the score but does not change playback.

How do I add a new tempo mark (BPM)?

A tempo mark is entered as a number of beats per minute. With nothing selected, the new tempo is used until the next tempo mark or the end of the score; select a range of measures first and the change is limited to those measures.

Tap the measure where the tempo should change, drag the tool palette up, tap the tempo tool under Tempo, and enter the value. With nothing selected the new tempo applies until the next tempo mark or the end of the score; to change it for a few measures only, select those measures first.

1

Open the tempo tool

Select the measure, then tap the metronome under Tempo.

2

Set the value

Hold and swipe up or down to change the tempo, then tap ✓.

How do I change an existing tempo mark?

An existing tempo mark can be given a new value, which then applies from that mark onwards exactly like a tempo you add. The beat unit — the note value the BPM figure counts — is changed from the existing beat unit itself, without re-entering the tempo number.

Tap the tempo mark in the score and enter the new value, or select the measure and use the tempo tool under Tempo again. The new value applies from that mark onwards, exactly like a tempo you add.

How do I remove a tempo mark?

Removing a tempo mark takes its value out of the score. A tempo mark is an element of the score like any other, so it can be taken out again at any point, and a new one added in its place when the passage needs a different speed.

Tap the tempo mark in the score, then tap the delete button in the top toolbar. That takes its value out of the score; to put a different one in its place, add a new tempo mark from the Tempo section.

How do I hear the tempo or see its textual equivalent?

The tempo tool is its own metronome: it opens a full-screen dial that plays the value as you set it, so you hear the speed before it goes into the score.

Select the measure and tap the tempo tool under Tempo. Hold and swipe up or down: the metronome follows the value and the Italian marking is shown with it. Tap ✓ to write the tempo, or ✕ to leave the score unchanged.

How do I add a tempo word like Allegro?

Tempo words such as Allegro or Andante are part of a tempo mark in Flat: the word is printed above its ♩ = BPM, and playback follows that BPM. You pick the word on the tempo screen, and it fills in the usual BPM for that word, which you can still change.

Select the measure and tap the tempo tool under Tempo, or tap an existing tempo mark. On the tempo screen, tap the tempo word, which reads No text, and pick a word from the Tempo word list. Its BPM fills in; swipe up or down to change it if you need to, then tap ✓. This needs version 26.11.01 or later of the Flat app on iOS or Android.

To remove only the word and keep the BPM, open the tempo screen again and pick No text. A word that is not in the list, such as Allegro con brio, is still written as Expression text with the annotation tool: it prints on the score but does not change playback.