Dynamics (p, f)
The italic letters in a score are dynamics, marks for how loud or soft the music is. p means piano, soft; f means forte, loud. Doubled they mean very soft (pp) or very loud (ff), and m makes them moderate: mp, mf.
How to read it
The letters are abbreviations of Italian words. From softest to loudest the usual range is ppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fff. They are relative, not fixed levels: how loud forte is depends on the music, the performer and the instrument. Gradual changes are shown with hairpins or the words crescendo and diminuendo.
Also searched as: forte, mezzo forte, piano.
Related marks
fp (forte-piano) means loud and then at once soft. sf, sfz and fz (sforzando) put a strong accent on one note or chord, like an Accent sign.
More music symbols
Sources
- Music Notation and Terminology, Karl W. Gehrkens, 1914, A. S. Barnes Company (Project Gutenberg), Chapter XIII, §120–122
- Primer of Facts about Music, M. G. Evans, 1909, Theodore Presser Co. (Internet Archive, University of Toronto), Q. 157
- Stainer and Barrett's Dictionary of Musical Terms, John Stainer and W. A. Barrett, new and revised edition, 1898, Novello (Internet Archive, Cornell University Library), Piano; Mezzo; Fortissimo
- SMuFL: Dynamics, Standard Music Font Layout, glyph table U+E520–U+E54F, W3C Music Notation Community Group, U+E520–U+E534
Last reviewed September 26, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research