diff --git a/code/game/objects/items/devices/violin.dm b/code/game/objects/items/devices/violin.dm
index dcc3c309c1e..e8481778326 100644
--- a/code/game/objects/items/devices/violin.dm
+++ b/code/game/objects/items/devices/violin.dm
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@
 	song = null
 	..()
 
+/obj/item/device/violin/initialize()
+	song.tempo = song.sanitize_tempo(song.tempo) // tick_lag isn't set when the map is loaded
+	..()
+
 /obj/item/device/violin/attack_self(mob/user as mob)
 	if(!user.IsAdvancedToolUser())
 		user << "<span class='danger'>You don't have the dexterity to do this!</span>"
diff --git a/code/game/objects/structures/musician.dm b/code/game/objects/structures/musician.dm
index 85875833820..fb1980692d9 100644
--- a/code/game/objects/structures/musician.dm
+++ b/code/game/objects/structures/musician.dm
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 /datum/song
 	var/name = "Untitled"
 	var/list/lines = new()
-	var/tempo = 5
+	var/tempo = 5			// delay between notes
 
 	var/playing = 0			// if we're playing
 	var/help = 0			// if help is open
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 	var/obj/instrumentObj = null	// the associated obj playing the sound
 
 /datum/song/New(dir, obj)
+	tempo = sanitize_tempo(tempo)
 	instrumentDir = dir
 	instrumentObj = obj
 
@@ -63,8 +64,10 @@
 /datum/song/proc/updateDialog(mob/user as mob)
 	instrumentObj.updateDialog()		// assumes it's an object in world, override if otherwise
 
-/datum/song/proc/shouldStopPlaying()
+/datum/song/proc/shouldStopPlaying(mob/user)
 	if(instrumentObj)
+		if(!user.canUseTopic(instrumentObj))
+			return 1
 		return !instrumentObj.anchored		// add special cases to stop in subclasses
 	else
 		return 1
@@ -84,7 +87,7 @@
 				var/list/notes = text2list(beat, "/")
 				for(var/note in text2list(notes[1], "-"))
 					//world << "note: [note]"
-					if(!playing || shouldStopPlaying())//If the instrument is playing, or special case
+					if(!playing || shouldStopPlaying(user))//If the instrument is playing, or special case
 						playing = 0
 						return
 					if(lentext(note) == 0)
@@ -104,7 +107,7 @@
 							cur_oct[cur_note] = text2num(ni)
 					playnote(cur_note, cur_acc[cur_note], cur_oct[cur_note])
 				if(notes.len >= 2 && text2num(notes[2]))
-					sleep(tempo / text2num(notes[2]))
+					sleep(sanitize_tempo(tempo / text2num(notes[2])))
 				else
 					sleep(tempo)
 		repeat--
@@ -136,10 +139,8 @@
 		dat += "<B><A href='?src=\ref[src];edit=1'>Hide Editor</A></B>"
 		dat += " <A href='?src=\ref[src];newsong=1'>Start a New Song</A>"
 		dat += " <A href='?src=\ref[src];import=1'>Import a Song</A><BR><BR>"
-		var/calctempo = round(600 / tempo)
-		var/calcstep = tempo - 600 / (calctempo+1)
-		var/calcstep_b = tempo - 600 / (calctempo+10)
-		dat += "Tempo: <A href='?src=\ref[src];tempo=[calcstep_b]'>-</A><A href='?src=\ref[src];tempo=[calcstep]'>-</A> [calctempo] BPM <A href='?src=\ref[src];tempo=-[calcstep]'>+</A><A href='?src=\ref[src];tempo=-[calcstep_b]'>+</A><BR><BR>"
+		var/bpm = round(600 / tempo)
+		dat += "Tempo: <A href='?src=\ref[src];tempo=[world.tick_lag]'>-</A> [bpm] BPM <A href='?src=\ref[src];tempo=-[world.tick_lag]'>+</A><BR><BR>"
 		var/linecount = 0
 		for(var/line in lines)
 			linecount += 1
@@ -183,7 +184,7 @@
 
 	if(href_list["newsong"])
 		lines = new()
-		tempo = 5 // default 120 BPM
+		tempo = sanitize_tempo(5) // default 120 BPM
 		name = ""
 
 	else if(href_list["import"])
@@ -203,10 +204,10 @@
 		spawn()
 			lines = text2list(t, "\n")
 			if(copytext(lines[1],1,6) == "BPM: ")
-				tempo = 600 / max(1, text2num(copytext(lines[1],6)))
+				tempo = sanitize_tempo(600 / text2num(copytext(lines[1],6)))
 				lines.Cut(1,2)
 			else
-				tempo = 5 // default 120 BPM
+				tempo = sanitize_tempo(5) // default 120 BPM
 			if(lines.len > 50)
 				usr << "Too many lines!"
 				lines.Cut(51)
@@ -235,11 +236,7 @@
 			repeat = max_repeats
 
 	else if(href_list["tempo"])
-		tempo += text2num(href_list["tempo"])
-		if(tempo < 1)
-			tempo = 1
-		if(tempo > 600)
-			tempo = 600
+		tempo = sanitize_tempo(tempo + text2num(href_list["tempo"]))
 
 	else if(href_list["play"])
 		playing = 1
@@ -279,6 +276,9 @@
 	updateDialog(usr)
 	return
 
+/datum/song/proc/sanitize_tempo(new_tempo)
+	new_tempo = abs(new_tempo)
+	return max(round(new_tempo, world.tick_lag), world.tick_lag)
 
 // subclass for handheld instruments, like violin
 /datum/song/handheld
@@ -322,6 +322,10 @@
 	song = null
 	..()
 
+/obj/structure/piano/initialize()
+	song.tempo = song.sanitize_tempo(song.tempo) // tick_lag isn't set when the map is loaded
+	..()
+
 /obj/structure/piano/attack_hand(mob/user as mob)
 	if(!user.IsAdvancedToolUser())
 		user << "<span class='danger'>You don't have the dexterity to do this!</span>"