Dynamics and Tempo

Dynamics and Tempo are two very important elements that really make the music sound artistic. Dynamics include how loud or soft the music is playing, as well as how the music gets louder or softer. Tempo includes how fast or slow the music is playing, as well as how the music gets faster or slower.

Dynamics: the volume of the music

                Piano (p) – soft

                Mezzo piano (mp) – medium soft

                Mezzo forte (mf) – medium loud

                Forte (f) – loud

Check out the following music example and listen closely for the changes in dynamics:

                                                              Haydn Symphony

 Now not only can dynamics jump from piano (soft) to forte (loud), they can also change slowly:

                Crescendo (<) – to slowly get louder

                Decrescendo (>) – to slowly get softer

Here’s an example of what they look like in a piece of music:

(The music would start soft, slowly grow loud, and then slowly grow back to soft again)

Tempo: the speed of the music

                Adagio/Andante – slow

                Moderato – medium, walking pace

                Allegro – fast

Check out the following music example and listen closely for the changes in tempo:

                                              In the Hall of the Mountain King

What else changed besides the tempo? Why do you think the composer chose to write the music with those kind of changes?