# Tempo in sheet music



## eric_b (Dec 6, 2008)

I'm playing some Chet Atkins stuff via sheet music that I am not familiar with. The tempo on some of the songs is marked as "Bright" or 'Moderately Bright", and I'm not sure how that equates to BPM, the way Moderato and Allegro do, as examples. Is there a defined BPM for 'Bright"? I gather it should be played fairly fast and, well, brightly, but how fast is fast, in this case?


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I find that with a lot of stuff, there is a "natural" tempo that just feels right for the tune once you've learned it. "Bright" would indicate more of a feel than a specific tempo, so if you can capture "bright" you've probably got it.

If you really want to be sure I can't imagine that there are too many Chet tunes that can't be found on YouTube. Which tune is it?


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## eric_b (Dec 6, 2008)

I had considered looking for examples on line, but it would shatter my illusions of actually being able to play this stuff accurately. Agree about natural feel for the music, old Chet had a pretty identifiable sound Although it's not anything I passively listen to, i find it technically challenging, Tunes include Me and Merle @ Medium Bright and John Henry @ Bright.


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