The term dynamics refers to the volume at which music is played. If all music was played at the same volume it would lack expression and soon become boring. Therefore it is necessary to be able to play at a variety of dynamic levels ranging from very soft to very loud. There are various markings for dynamics in written music. Most come from Italian words. Some of these are listed here, along with their English translations. To practice dynamics, play a scale, and then a melody at each of these volumes.
pp | pianissimo (very soft) | p | piano (soft) | mp | mezzo piano (moderately soft) |
mf | mezzo forte (moderately loud) | f | forte (loud) | ff | fortissimo (very loud) |