Lesson 38 / 41 8 min
Dynamics, tempo and articulation
From pp to ff, hairpins, tempo words, rit. and accel., fermatas, staccato, accents, slurs and ornaments.
Notes and rhythm tell you what to play. Dynamics, tempo markings, articulations and ornaments tell you how — loud or soft, fast or slow, short or smooth, plain or decorated. They're what turns correct notes into music. Every example here plays back with the effect applied, so you can hear the difference.
Dynamics
Dynamics show how loud to play. They're written below the staff as bold italic letters, short for Italian words:
| Mark | Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ppp | pianississimo | as soft as possible |
| pp | pianissimo | very soft |
| p | piano | soft |
| mp | mezzo-piano | moderately soft |
| mf | mezzo-forte | moderately loud |
| f | forte | loud |
| ff | fortissimo | very loud |
| fff | fortississimo | as loud as possible |
A dynamic lasts until the next one.
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Gradual changes
- Crescendo — cresc. or an opening hairpin < — gradually louder.
- Diminuendo or decrescendo — dim., decresc. or a closing hairpin > — gradually softer.
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Sudden accents
- sfz (sforzando) or sf — a sudden strong accent on one note.
- fp (forte-piano) — loud attack, then immediately soft.
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Tempo
Metronome marks
A note value followed by a number — ♩ = 120 — gives the exact tempo in beats per minute. You've seen one above every example. In compound time it's often a dotted quarter (♩. = 60).
Tempo words
Many scores use Italian words instead of, or together with, a number:
| Term | Meaning | Approx. BPM |
|---|---|---|
| Grave | very slow, solemn | 25–45 |
| Largo | broad, slow | 40–60 |
| Adagio | slow, at ease | 55–75 |
| Andante | walking pace | 75–105 |
| Moderato | moderate | 100–120 |
| Allegretto | fairly quick | 105–125 |
| Allegro | fast, bright | 120–155 |
| Vivace | lively | 155–175 |
| Presto | very fast | 170–200 |
Rock and pop charts often just say "Moderate rock", "Slow ballad" or "Fast swing".
Tempo changes
- rit. (ritardando) or rall. (rallentando) — gradually slow down.
- accel. (accelerando) — gradually speed up.
- a tempo — return to the original tempo.
- rubato — flexible tempo, push and pull freely.
- A new tempo mark in the middle of a piece changes the tempo straight away.
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Fermata
A fermata (𝄐, a dot under an arch) means "hold this note longer than written" — usually about twice as long, or as long as feels right. The music then continues in tempo.
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Articulations
Articulations are small marks above or below the notehead that change the attack and length of a note:
| Mark | Name | How to play |
|---|---|---|
| Dot | Staccato | Short and detached — about half the written length |
| Wedge | Staccatissimo | Very short |
| Short line | Tenuto | Hold for the full value, slightly leaned on |
| > | Accent | Attack harder than the notes around it |
| ^ | Marcato | Strong, heavy accent |
| Dot + line | Portato | Slightly separated but weighted |
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Phrase slurs
A long curve over several different notes is a phrase slur: play the notes smoothly connected, like one breath. (On guitar, a short slur between two notes often means a hammer-on or pull-off — see the techniques lesson.)
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Ornaments
Ornaments are shorthand for little decorations around a note.
- Grace note — a small note just before a main note. With a slash through the stem (acciaccatura) it's crushed in as fast as possible; without the slash (appoggiatura) it takes some time from the main note. On guitar it's often hammered, pulled or slid into the main note.
- Trill (tr) — alternate rapidly between the note and the one above it (a whole step unless an accidental says otherwise).
- Mordent — a quick note–upper note–note.
- Turn — upper note, note, lower note, note.
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Practice
Play one simple melody four ways: all p, all f, with a crescendo to the end, and all staccato. Hearing yourself change only the expression is the fastest way to make these marks second nature.