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Dynamics

Music notation shows how loudly or quietly to play the notes in a piece of music in order to indicate the dynamics. 

There are a wide variety of dynamic markings. The most basic ones are obviously the ones to learn first. They involve the volume level of the music. Most words used in music notation are Italian. The word piano is Italian for quiet and the word forte is Italian for loud. In notation these are indicated by simply using the letters p and f usually in italics (and sometimes also in bold). 
pp - means pianissimo = 'more quietly'
ff - means fortissimo = 'more loudly'

There are also other letters that refer to other levels of volume (and various qualities). These other letters are also frequently the first letter (the initial) of some Italian word that has been traditionally used in music notation. Here’s a list of notation dynamic markings for your reference. It is a good idea to memorise them. 

p = piano = quietly
pp = pianissimo = more quietly
mp = mezzo-piano = medium-soft

f = forte = loudly
ff = fortissimo = more loudly
mf = mezzo-forte = medium-loud

There are also words used to indicate dynamics that are gradual in change and occur over a period of several notes or measures. For example: 

Crescendo = getting gradually louder
Decrescendo = getting gradually quieter


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