---
title: "Dynamics in Music: p, mf, f, Crescendo Explained · Piakno"
description: "Dynamics are the marks that say how loud to play: p (piano) soft, f (forte) loud, mp and mf in between, pp and ff very soft and very loud. A crescendo gets louder and a diminuendo softer, written as a word or as a wedge."
url: "https://piakno.com/theory/dynamics"
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---

# Dynamics

> Dynamics are the marks that say how loud to play: p (piano) soft, f (forte) loud, mp and mf in between, pp and ff very soft and very loud. A crescendo gets louder and a diminuendo softer, written as a word or as a wedge.

Also called Dynamic markings

## 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.

*p, a crescendo to f, and a diminuendo back to p.*

## 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.

*A phrase at mf with a sforzando on its third note.*

> On a piano, loudness is speed. How hard you press once the key is down changes nothing; a note is loud because the key traveled fast to the bottom. Soft playing comes from slow, controlled keys, not from weak fingers.

## Common questions

### What does mf mean in music?

mf is mezzo forte, "moderately loud": louder than mp, softer than f. It is a sensible level for a piece that carries no mark at all.

### What is the difference between crescendo and diminuendo?

The direction. A crescendo becomes gradually louder and a diminuendo gradually softer, and their wedges are mirror images: a crescendo opens to the right, a diminuendo closes.

### What does sfz mean in music?

Sforzando: strike that one note with sudden force. Unlike f, it does not change the level of what follows, and the next note returns to the dynamic the passage was in.

## The course works through this in:

- [Lesson 11 · Dynamic markings: p, f, mf](https://piakno.com/course/piano-foundations/lesson/11)

## Related entries

- [Articulation](https://piakno.com/theory/articulation)
- [Tempo markings](https://piakno.com/theory/tempo-markings)
- [Music notation symbols](https://piakno.com/theory/music-symbols)

- [Music theory reference](https://piakno.com/theory)