Unit 3: Dynamics

The Louds and Softs in Music

Guiding Question: Why should I use dynamics, and ho do I use them!"
#$ea of Inte$action: %omo &a'e$ (Man)ind the *$eato$+
What a$e dynamics!
Dynamics a$e the louds and softs in music, that is, the -olume. #s you )no, music can 'e /layed loudly o$
0uietly. %a//y 1i$thday" can 'e sung -e$y softly (to a 'a'y, fo$ instance+, o$ -e$y loudly (at a c$a2y /a$ty fo$ a
teenage$, fo$ instance+. That3s the idea of dynamics4
Why ha-e dynamics!
Dynamics a$e 5ust one 6lement of Music (an element is a 'asic /a$t+ that com/ose$s and musicians can mani/ulate
o$ change to hel/ them /ut ac$oss the meaning they ant f$om a song. &o$ e7am/le, When the Saints Go
Ma$ching In" is a song t$aditionally associated ith the city of 8e 9$leans. It is usually /e$fo$med fast (tempo
allegro+, loud (forte dynamics+, and in a ha//y )ey (major tonality+. This ma)es the song sound li)e a /a$ty:
ha//y, ca$ef$ee, and ene$getic.
1ut if a com/ose$ o$ /e$fo$me$ ants to send a diffe$ent message, she might /e$fo$m the song sloly (tempo
lento+, 0uietly (dynamic of piano+, and in a sad )ey (minor tonality+. This might ma)e the song sound sad,
mou$nful, o$ 'lue, as if the hole city o$ nation is g$ie-ing fo$ the -ictims and the dest$uction of hu$$icane :at$ina,
hich nea$ly i/ed out 8e 9$leans in ;<<=. Dynamics (and the othe$ 6lements of Music+ hel/ gi-e the
music meaning.
# lot of music I listen to doesn3t seem to ha-e dynamics. Why is that!
That3s t$ue4 Most music on the $adio ($oc), $a/, hi/ ho/, 'lues, count$y, oldies+ doesn3t change much in loudness.
If it did, you3d ha-e to 'e constantly tu$ning the -olume u/ (so you could hea$ the 0uiet
/a$ts+ and don (so the loud /a$ts ouldn3t deafen you+. %a-ing to constantly change
the -olume on a ca$ $adio, *D /laye$, o$ I>/od could get /$etty i$$itating4 ?eco$ding
a$tists and /$oduce$s )no that4 So they use a technology called compression, hich
automatically ma)es e-e$ything /$etty much the same -olume (com/$ession ta)es out
the dynamics and ma)es e-e$ything a'out the same loudness+. That ay, you3ll 'e
mo$e li)ely to 'uy thei$ stuff.
1ut classical" *D3s and $eco$ds usually lea-e the dynamics alone, they don3t
com/$ess them (e7ce/tion: sometimes dynamics do get com/$essed if the classical *D
is going to get /layed on the $adio o$ T@+. The dynamics a$e left in 'ecause a lot of
classical listene$s ant to hea$ those changes in dynamics: dynamic changes ma)e the music mo$e /oe$ful,
inte$esting, o$ expressive (it means mo$e to them+. To 'e honest, some classical music without the dynamics can 'e
'o$ing4
Why is that!
Music is all a'out expressing (saying o$ shoing+ something human, and human thoughts
and feelings can 'e e7/$essed e7t$emely ell ith music (sometimes
'ette$ ith music alone than music ith o$ds4+. Mani/ulating o$
cont$olling the 6lements of Music (such as dynamics+ hel/s
com/ose$s and /e$fo$me$s ma)e the music say hat they ant it to
say. ?emem'e$: a lot of classical music doesn3t ha-e any o$ds (o$
the o$ds a$e in some fo$eign language the listene$ doesn3t e-en
unde$stand+. So if the com/ose$ o$ /e$fo$me$ doesn3t use the
6lements of Music to hel/ the music say something, the music might not say anything4 19?I8G4
9:, so ho a$e dynamics $itten!
Dynamics a$e $itten into the music 'y the com/ose$ o$ a$$ange$. Ae$fo$me$s can ma)e u/ thei$ on dynamics
and $ite them in, o$ 5ust /lay them as they see fit. Li)e many musical te$ms, the ones com/ose$s use fo$
dynamics a$e $itten ith Italian o$ds o$ ith s/ecial sym'ols.
Why a$e dynamics $itten in Italian!
6u$o/ean music as fi$st $itten don in Italy. Italians ce$tainly didn3t in-ent music: music has 'een a$ound as
long as /eo/le ha-e. #nd othe$ nations o$ cultu$es could ell ha-e 'een $iting music in thei$ on ays long
'efo$e the Italians did. 1ut that3s he$e the $iting don of 6u$o/ean music $eally got sta$ted. So natu$ally, the
Italians used thei$ on o$ds to desc$i'e music. It caught on f$om the$e, and /$etty soon com/ose$s all o-e$
6u$o/e e$e using Italian o$ds and sym'ols to $ite thei$ music.
9:, so hat Italian o$ds and sym'ols a$e used fo$ dynamics!
It3s $eally /$etty sim/le. The Italians 5ust used thei$ o$ds fo$ soft o$ 0uiet (piano+, st$ong o$ loud (forte+ and
medium (mezzo+, /lus thei$ suffi7 fo$ the most" (>issimo+ to c$eate si7 dynamic le-els. 6ach te$m also has a /$etty
sim/le a''$e-iation. %e$e they a$e, f$om softest to loudest:
Dynamic #''$e-iation Meaning
Pianissimo pp @e$y soft o$ -e$y 0uiet (lite$ally, the most 0uiet"+
Piano p Soft, 0uiet
Mezzo piano mp Medium soft, medium 0uiet
Mezzo forte mf Medium loud, medium st$ong
Forte f Loud, st$ong (li)e a fo$t+
Fortissimo ff @e$y loud, -e$y st$ong (lite$ally, the most st$ong"+
Wait a minute4 Piano means a )ey'oa$d inst$ument that eighs a ton and can /lay almost any )ind of music4
Well, yes, 'ut no. The )ey'oa$d inst$uments that e$e common 'efo$e the /iano as in-ented (the o$gan, the
ha$/sicho$d, the cla-icho$d+ all had thei$ good /a$ts. 1ut one 'ad thing they
sha$ed is that they e$e lousy fo$ dynamics. They 'asically 5ust /layed eithe$
)ind of loud o$ )ind of soft unless you ent to a lot of t$ou'le to change them. It
as $eally ha$d to change the dynamics hile you /layed, and e-en then, the
change often didn3t ma)e all that much diffe$ence.
The piano changed all that4 #s you may )no, if you /lay the /iano -e$y lightly,
it /lays softly (piano4+. If you hit the /iano )eys ha$de$, it /lays loudly (forte+. It
can do I8ST#8T and 6#SB changes in dynamics4 *99L4 So as the /iano as
'eing de-elo/ed, /e$fo$me$s and com/ose$s thought, G?6#T4 #n inst$ument
that can easily /lay soft and loud4 We3ll call it the soft>loud4" Soft>loud in Italian,
is (of cou$se+ piano forte. So e3$e $eally calling the piano 'y its fi$st name: the soft (0uiet+.
Aianos ha-e changed o-e$ the centu$ies, and the mode$n /iano is diffe$ent in some ays than the o$iginal piano
forte. 1ut e still call it the /iano, 'ecause it3s still $eally good at /laying piano #8D forte4
What if I don3t ant the music to change suddenly, I ant it to go f$om soft to loud g$adually!
#n e7cellent idea4 That3s a $eally cool effect, as if the sun is coming u/, o$ something is g$oing, o$ something
'ig is coming (li)e a t$ain o$ a sto$m o$ a monste$ o$ a 'i$thday+. The Italians thought of that, too4 Thei$ o$d fo$
getting g$adually loude$" is crescendo" (lite$ally, g$oing"+. The o//osite can 'e done, too. The te$m fo$
getting g$adually softe$" (the o//osite of crescendo+ is (can you guess!+ decrescendo. 9f cou$se4
%o a$e crescendo and decrescendo $itten!
Crescendo and decrescendo ha-e 'oth a''$e-iations #8D sym'ols. 1oth the a''$e-iations and the sym'ols ma)e
/e$fect sense. The a''$e-iations a$e 5ust the fi$st /a$t of the o$d (cresc. o$ decresc.+.
# crescendo symbol is so$t of a long 'ac)a$ds a$$o, getting 'igge$ and 'igge$ as you go ac$oss the /age. Bou
can lite$ally see the music g$oing (getting loude$+ as you go4 %e$e3s a long crescendo, along ith some
dynamics and ly$ics to gi-e you the idea. Sta$t at the left side of the /age and go to the $ight, 5ust as you ould $ead
o$ds.
pp p mp mf f ff
*an you see the crescendo g$oing" as you go! That3s all the$e is to it. The sym'ol loo)s li)e it is g$oing", so
the /e$fo$me$s g$o loude$4 6asy4
# decrescendo is the othe$ ay a$ound. Sta$t at the left and $ead to the $ight as alays.
ff f mf mp p pp
# decrescendo sh$in)s as you go ac$oss the /age, so the /e$fo$me$s 5ust get 0uiete$. STILL easy4
%e$e3s a ta'le of crescendo and decrescendo:
Dynamic Abbreviation Symbol Meaning
Crescendo cresc.
Inc$easing -olume, getting g$adually loude$
(lite$ally, g$oing"+
Decrescend
o
decresc.
Dec$easing -olume, getting g$adually 0uiete$
(o//osite of crescendo+
So4 Dynamics means changes in the volume of music. Dynamics a$e used ma)e the music mo$e inte$esting and
mo$e meaningful. They a$e $itten ith Italian o$ds li)e piano (softC0uiet+, forte (st$ongCloud+ and mezzo
(medium+. Crescendo means g$oing loude$, and decrescendo mean g$oing 0uiete$.
That3s it fo$ dynamics4 Than)s fo$ $eading, and
%a//y Music>Ma)ing44
This is sloly getting loude$, loude$, loude$, no it3s getting e-en loude$, %oly COW!
T!S is sta$ting $eally loudly 'ut it3s getting softe$, softe$, no I can ha$dly hea$ it.