Dynamics: how loud or soft you play a note
In short, dynamics are the symbols that tell you how loud or soft you are meant to play a particular section of music. Sometimes the entire song if it's a short song. You will always want to look out for those dynamic symbols; they add a lot of personality to music than just plain monotone music!
The Dynamic Symbols and What They Mean
Forte -- f: This simply means loud. Press harder into the keys for this. No banging though! Always keep your fingers close to the keys.
Fortissimo -- ff: This is extra loud. Press even more into the keys.
Piano -- p: This means soft or quiet. Press the keys gently/ lightly while still pressing to the bottom of the keys.
Pianissimo -- pp: Extra soft or quiet. This requires the soft pedal which is the pedal all the way to the left of the three pedals. Press the left pedal to make the keys sound even softer.
Mezzo Piano -- mp: Medium soft, or as I like to call it: kind of soft. This is just a step up from quiet. Press just a little more than you would for piano.
Mezzo Forte -- mf: Medium loud, or kind of loud. This is just a step down from loud. Play a little softer than you would for forte.
In another lesson I will explain what the pedals of the piano do. I hope you enjoyed this mini lesson and remember to go practice!
