Prestissimo Tempo (BPM)
Prestissimo is an Italian tempo marking meaning as fast as possible. In modern metronome terms it is generally taken as about 200–208 BPM — as fast as possible, the upper limit of what players can cleanly execute.
Note lengths at a typical prestissimo tempo (204 BPM)
Using 204 BPM as a representative prestissimo tempo. For any other BPM use the BPM to milliseconds converter.
| Note value | Milliseconds |
|---|---|
| Whole note (1/1) | 1176.47 ms |
| Half note (1/2) | 588.24 ms |
| Quarter note (1/4, one beat) | 294.12 ms |
| Eighth note (1/8) | 147.06 ms |
| Sixteenth note (1/16) | 73.53 ms |
| Thirty-second note (1/32) | 36.76 ms |
| Bar in 4/4 | 1176.47 ms |
How prestissimo compares to nearby tempos
| Term | BPM band | Relationship to Prestissimo |
|---|---|---|
| Presto | 168–200 | slower than Prestissimo |
| Prestissimo | 200–208 | — you are here — |
Frequently asked questions
- What BPM is Prestissimo?
- Prestissimo is generally taken as about 200–208 BPM — as fast as possible, the fastest marking of all.
- Is Prestissimo faster or slower than Presto?
- Prestissimo is faster than Presto. Presto sits around 168–200 BPM, while Prestissimo is about 200–208 BPM, so Prestissimo is the quicker of the two.
- What is one beat in milliseconds at Prestissimo?
- At a typical 204 BPM, one beat (a quarter note) is 60000 ÷ 204 ≈ 294.12 ms. At 208 BPM it is about 288.46 ms; at 200 BPM about 300.00 ms.