Musical Terms: Loudness

dynamics

terms indicating loudness in a piece of music

fortissimo assai

extra, extra loud; fff

fortissimo

very loud, ff

forte

loud, f

mezzo forte

medium loud, mf

mezzo piano

medium soft, ms

piano

soft, p

pianissimo

very soft, pp

pianissimo assai

extra, extra soft, ppp

assai

extremely

issimo

an ending, in Italian, meaning very or more than

crescendo

gradually increasing in volume

decrescendo

gradually decreasing in volume

diminuendo

gradually decreasing in volume

accent

a sudden loud attack on a note

sforzando

a sudden very loud attack on a note, sfz

forte piano

begin loud and immediately switch to soft, fp

subito/subito piano

suddenly; suddenly soft

calando

gradually decreasing in volume as you slow down

morendo

dying away; gradually decreasing in volume as you slow