The Happy Musician

Today we will do a brief overview of some music dynamics. The list for Florida All-State vocabulary for Middle and High School will be in different posts, so if you see something there that I have already said in today’s post, don’t be surprised. We will also touch on those repeated subjects less, or just not mention them at all. Let’s get started on dynamics!

Crescendo: As seen above (I know it’s hard to see, sorry about that), a crescendo means to gradually get louder. The sign for it looks like a giant “less than” sign. Some crescendos go above or below measures, and some are simply abbreviated with “cresc.” Either way, crescendo means to grow in volume.

Decrescendo or Diminuendo: This is the opposite of a crescendo. These two terms mean the same thing – get softer as you go along. The decrescendo looks like a “greater than” sign and the tiny tip is the softest part. Decrescendo means to decrease in volume.

Forte: Loud, oftentimes with passion.

Fortepiano: Hit on the note loud and back off immediately afterward.

Fortissimo: Very loud, blaring, typically at the height of a crescendo.

Mezzoforte: Medium loud, a little louder than normal speaking tone.

Mezzopiano: Medium soft, a bit softer than normal speaking tone.

Piano: Gently, softly, near whispering.

Pianissimo: Very soft, like whispering.

I hope that you learned something or expanded on your knowledge! I will be blogging tomorrow because I will be out of town for a week starting Saturday. Thanks for reading, and come back tomorrow for new content!

Post photo by The Flute Coach

Cover photo by Victor Freitas