DYNAMIC SIGNS IN MUSIC

The word Crescendo means you have to get gradually louder while the opposite word Decrescendo or Diminuendo means you have to get gradually softer.

The Crescendo and Diminuendo dynamics music signs are stated by two lines coming towards each other or against each other. The place where they meet is where the softest sound should be produced.

DYNAMICS AND ACCENTS IN MUSIC

In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc.) or functional (velocity). The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics.

The two basic dynamic indications in music are:

• p or piano, meaning "soft."
• f or forte, meaning "loud" or "strong" also it can mean "deep".

More subtle degrees of loudness or softness are indicated by:

• mp, standing for mezzo-piano, meaning "moderately soft" and
• mf, standing for mezzo-forte, meaning "moderately loud".

Beyond f and p, there are also

• ff, standing for "fortissimo", and meaning "very loud",
• pp, standing for "pianissimo", and meaning "very soft",

In music, an accent is an emphasis placed on a particular note, either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark. Accents contribute to the articulation and prosody of a performance of a musical phrase. Compared to surrounding notes:

• A dynamic accent or stress accent is an emphasis using louder sound, typically most pronounced on the attack of the sound.
• A tonic accent is an emphasis on a note by virtue of being higher in pitch.
• An agogic accent is an emphasis by virtue of being longer in duration.

Accents which do not correspond to the stressed beats of the prevailing meter are said to be syncopated.

ACCENT MARKS

In music notation, an accent mark indicates a louder dynamic to apply to a single note, or an articulation mark. The most common is the horizontal accent, the fourth symbol in the diagram above; this is the symbol that most musicians mean when they say accent mark. The vertical accent, third in the diagram, may be stronger or weaker than the horizontal accent; composers have never been consistent in using these markings. The vertical accent has many informal names such as a "housetop". In most musical works this type of accent is meant to be played more forcefully and usually shorter.

The remaining marks typically shorten a note. Staccato, the first symbol shown above, indicates that the last part of a note should be silenced to create separation between it and the following note. The duration of a staccato note may be about half as long as the note value would indicate, although the tempo and performers' taste varies this quite a bit. The staccatissimo, shown second, is usually interpreted as shorter than the staccato, but composers up to the time of Mozart used these symbols interchangeably. The third one shown, the Teepee Accent, is played with the same dynamics as a regular accent mark but condensed into about half the original length of the note (depending on style, song, preference, etc.), essentially a combination of accent and staccato. The fourth mark shown, the Accent mark, indicates that the marked note should have an emphasized beginning and then taper off rather quickly. The tenuto mark, shown fifth above, indicates that a note is to be separated with a little space from surrounding notes. This separation may be enough to emphasize the note, or it may have to be played a little louder, at the discretion of the player. The tenuto mark also indicates that the note should be played for its full value - not cut off earlier. Sometimes these symbols are used in combination.

Even when these symbols are absent, experienced musicians will introduce the appropriate gesture according to the style of the music.

ARTICULATION IN MUSIC

In music, articulation refers to the direction or performance technique which affects the transition or continuity on single note or between multiple notes or sounds.

There are many different kinds of articulation, each having a different effect on how the note is played. Some articulation marks include the slur, phrase mark, staccato, staccatissimo, accent, sforzando, rinforzando, and legato. Each articulation is represented by a different symbol placed above or below the note (depending on its position on the staff).

Woodwind and brass instruments generally articulate by tonguing, the use of the tongue to break the airflow into the instrument. Stringed instruments use different bowing techniques to achieve different articulations.

When staccato marks are combined with a slur, the result is portato, also known as articulated legato. Tenuto markings under a slur are called (for bowed strings) hook bows. This name is also less commonly applied to staccato or martellato (martelé) markings.

METRONOME PAUSE/TEMPO

A metronome is any device that produces regular ticks (beats). More precisely it produces a regulated aural, visual or tactile pulse. It dates back to the early 19th century. A metronome is used by some performing musicians for practice in maintaining a consistent tempo; it gives composers an approximate way of specifying the tempo[1]. From its inception, however, the metronome has been a highly controversial tool (see Criticism of metronome use), and there are musicians who reject its use altogether.