What do p, mf and f mean?
The letters are Italian words, shortened. p is piano, "soft"; f is forte, "loud"; an m in front, mezzo, means "moderately". Doubling a letter makes it more so: pp is very soft, ff very loud. Some scores go further, to ppp and fff; the six in the table below are the ones a beginner meets first.
| Mark | Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pp | pianissimo | Very soft |
| p | piano | Soft |
| mp | mezzo piano | Moderately soft |
| mf | mezzo forte | Moderately loud |
| f | forte | Loud |
| ff | fortissimo | Very loud |
A dynamic is relative, not a volume setting. mf in a lullaby and mf in a march are not the same loudness: each means "moderately loud for this piece", measured against the other marks around it. A mark holds until the next one replaces it.
Crescendo and diminuendo
Between two dynamics the music can change gradually. A crescendo (cresc.) grows louder; a diminuendo (dim.), also called decrescendo, grows softer. Either can be written as the word or drawn as a wedge under the notes, and the wedge shows exactly where the change starts and ends.
Sudden accents: sfz and fp
sfz (sforzando) marks one note struck suddenly hard, after which the music carries on at its dynamic. fp (forte-piano) means loud and at once soft: the note attacked forte, the sound dropping straight to piano.