Music
Music 101: What Is Tempo? How Is Tempo Used in Music?
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Aug 5, 2021 • 5 min read
When Adele decided to cover The Cure’s 1989 hit “Lovesong,” she figured out a way to make it her own: slowing it down. When Earl Hines adapted the Fats Waller standard “Honeysuckle Rose,” he did what many jazz musicians do: he sped it up. Both these artists took ownership of their respective cover songs with a specific technique: they changed the tempo.