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