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.
Read next
- Next in Music symbolsCrescendo and decrescendoTwo lines opening out from a point mean crescendo: get gradually louder. Lines closing to a point mean decrescendo or diminuendo: get gradually softer. The signs are often called hairpins.
- The same shape in Tire sidewall markingsLoad range (LOAD RANGE E)The load range, such as E in LOAD RANGE E, is a letter on light truck and trailer tires that identifies how much load the tire is built to carry and the pressure limits that go with it.
More music symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with letters and numbers.
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
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 26, 2026. How we research
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