Musical terms

Imagine steps: unhurried, steady or quick. Tempo does not tell us how loudly to play.

grave

Very slow and solemn

Picture a slow, solemn procession: the word suggests both speed and character.

largo

Broad and slow

Picture broad, unhurried steps rather than a fixed number of beats per minute.

lento

Slowly

Like adagio, this asks for a slow tempo; the music or a metronome gives more detail.

adagio

Slow and unhurried

Let the music take its time: this describes a slow tempo, not a soft sound.

andante

At a walking pace

Think of a steady walk: the music keeps moving without rushing into a run.

moderato

At a moderate tempo

Neither very slow nor hurried: keep the pace moderate.

allegretto

Fairly fast, less brisk than allegro

Compare it with allegro: the music stays lively but is usually less fast.

allegro

Fast

The pace is already fast; unlike accelerando, this does not ask for gradual acceleration.

vivace

Lively and brisk

Picture lively motion: the marking suggests both a brisk pace and an animated character.

presto

Very fast

This is a very fast pace, but it does not ask for loud playing.

prestissimo

Extremely fast

Compare it with presto: the ending intensifies an already very fast pace.

Separate a speed from a change: allegro is fast; accelerando asks us to get faster gradually.

accelerandoaccel.

Gradually getting faster

Picture steps moving closer together in time without necessarily getting louder.

ritardandoritard.; rit.

Gradually slowing down

The gaps between beats grow little by little; rallentando gives a similar direction.

rallentandorall.

Gradually slowing down

The speed decreases gradually; pair it with ritardando when first learning the words.

ritenutoriten.; rit.

Holding the tempo back

The motion is held back; rit. can also mean ritardando, so read the surrounding music.

a tempo

Return to the previous tempo

After speeding up or slowing down, resume the pace used before the change.

più mosso

More movement, faster

Compare più mosso with meno mosso: the first asks for more movement.

meno mosso

Less movement, slower

Meno reduces the motion here; it does not ask for softer playing.

allargandoallarg.

Broadening the motion

The motion becomes broader and usually slower; the direction can also affect intensity.

rubato

Flexible timing for expression

Let the timing stretch and relax with the musical phrase rather than treating it mechanically.

stringendostring.

Pressing forward, becoming faster

Imagine the music pressing ahead with growing urgency.

From soft to loud: pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff. Crescendo changes loudness, not speed.

pianissimopp

Very softly

Two p letters intensify piano: make the sound softer still.

pianop

Softly

In a score, p asks for a soft sound rather than naming the piano instrument.

mezzo pianomp

Moderately softly

Compare p with mp: mezzo makes the request for soft playing more moderate.

mezzo fortemf

Moderately loudly

Compare f with mf: mezzo moderates the request for loud playing.

fortef

Loudly

Contrast f with p: these are different loudness levels, not different speeds.

fortissimoff

Very loudly

Two f letters intensify forte; they do not ask you to play faster.

crescendocresc.

Gradually louder

Picture a widening < hairpin: the sound grows louder while the tempo can stay unchanged.

diminuendodim.

Gradually softer

The sound gets softer; decrescendo gives the same basic direction.

decrescendodecresc.

Gradually softer

This is the opposite of crescendo; learn it beside its synonym diminuendo.

sforzandosfz; sf

A sudden strong accent

Emphasise one note or chord; this does not mean playing fortissimo throughout.

fortepianofp

Loud, then immediately soft

Read the two letters in order: forte first, immediately followed by piano.

Legato joins notes, staccato separates them, and tenuto asks us to sustain a note. Their pitches stay the same.

legato

Smooth and connected

Picture notes joined into a smooth line rather than separated as in staccato.

staccatostacc.

Short and detached

You hear spaces between notes; they do not need to become faster or higher.

tenutoten.

Sustain the note

The small line reminds you to sustain the written duration rather than clipping the note as in staccato.

marcatomarc.

Marked and emphasised

Make the notes stand out: both their attack and the strength of emphasis matter.

Imagine a character sounding gentle, grand, playful or fiery. These words do not set an exact loudness or speed.

cantabile

In a singing manner

Imagine the instrument singing a melody rather than simply producing separate notes.

dolce

Sweet and gentle

Imagine a gentle voice: this describes the sound's character rather than an exact p level.

espressivoespress.

Expressively

Give the phrase meaning, as you would when reading a story aloud expressively.

con fuoco

With fire and passion

Imagine a fiery speech; the words alone set neither an exact speed nor a loudness.

con brio

With vigour and spirit

Give the phrase a spirited impulse; this is not a separate metronome setting.

con moto

With movement

Keep the phrase moving forward; the direction links a feeling of motion with the tempo.

agitato

Agitated

Imagine a restless story: the agitation belongs to the music, not to a player's mistake.

animato

Animated

Bring the phrase to life; this character direction can accompany a more lively tempo.

maestoso

Majestically

Imagine a grand entrance: the majestic character matters, not loudness alone.

grazioso

Gracefully

Picture a graceful movement rather than a heavy step.

leggiero

Lightly

Let the notes feel light; they need not all be soft or staccato.

scherzando

Playfully

Imagine a musical joke; giocoso suggests a similarly playful character.

giocoso

Merry and playful

The music plays and jokes; learn it alongside the closely related scherzando.

tranquillo

Calmly

Picture a calm conversation; a calm character does not set an exact pace.

sostenutosost.

Sustained

Maintain a sustained line: the meaning touches both character and the way notes are played.

Da capo sends us to the beginning; dal segno sends us to a sign. Fine marks an ending; other directions tell the player what to do.

da capoD.C.

From the beginning

Return to the beginning of the music; any following words tell you where to stop.

dal segnoD.S.

From the sign

Find the segno sign: return there, which need not be the beginning.

fine

The end

In an al fine direction, this marks where to stop after the instructed return.

da capo al fineD.C. al Fine

From the beginning to Fine

Follow two steps: return to the beginning, then finish at Fine.

attacca

Continue without a break

Go straight into the next section without inserting a break between sections.

similesim.

Continue in the same manner

Keep using the indicated approach, such as an articulation, unless another direction follows.

una cordau.c.

Use the piano's soft pedal

This is a pianist's direction; its partner tre corde asks for that pedal to be released.

tre corde

Release the piano's soft pedal

After una corda, restore the usual sound by releasing the soft pedal.

Build phrases: poco means a little, molto means very, and non troppo means not too much. Read the word being qualified too.

Qualifying words usually accompany another instruction. Read the combination: poco crescendo means making a small increase in loudness.

con

With

Look for what follows con: con fuoco means with fire; con brio means with spirit.

senza

Without

Compare con with senza: one adds a quality, while the other asks for its absence.

molto

Very, much

The word strengthens its neighbour: molto espressivo asks for very expressive playing.

poco

A little

Poco moderates the direction beside it; contrast it with molto.

poco a poco

Little by little

The change happens little by little; the neighbouring word, such as crescendo, says what changes.

più

More

Compare più with meno: more versus less; in più mosso, the movement increases.

meno

Less

Meno reduces the quality named beside it: meno mosso asks for less movement.

sempre

Throughout, continuously

In sempre legato, keep the connected style rather than applying it to just one note.

subitosub.

Suddenly, immediately

With subito piano, loudness changes at once rather than gradually as in diminuendo.

non troppo

Not too much

In allegro non troppo, the music stays fast without becoming excessively hurried.

ma

But

Ma connects qualifications: allegro ma non troppo means fast, but not too much.

e / ed

And

Join two directions: dolce e cantabile asks for sweet and singing playing.