Questions tagged [dynamics]
For questions related to the intensity, or loudness, of sound.
108
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Is it possible to combine accent and tremolo in notation?
I want to have a strings part with tremolo, like used for example on the beginning of the 4th movement in Beethoven's 6th Symphony.
But I also want the beginning of every such note to be accented. In ...
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2answers
52 views
Notating Dynamics for Drum Kit
I'm currently finishing an arrangement in Sibelius. One of the last things I'm adding is dynamic markings. For context, there is a string section, an electric guitar, electric bass, piano and vocals ...
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2answers
88 views
Did Chopin use hairpins (adjacent crescendo and decrescendo) to indicate rubato rather than dynamics?
In her answer to Liszt's B minor sonata crescendo, user @Madeleine writes:
In many places in Chopin's music, he wrote hairpins ... to indicate rubato rather than a crescendo or decrescendo.
The ...
4
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2answers
371 views
Problems with playing dynamics on a yamaha psr e463
I recently (about 5 months ago) have taken up the hobby of playing piano. I'm following the Alfred Basic Adult Level One book. Really loving it so far but I keep messing up when it comes to one aspect ...
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4answers
701 views
How is a Compressor different from Gain/Fader riding?
Compressor reduces a signal's dynamic range but the same can also be done by riding/automating the volume fader.
Compressors add coloration but other than that is it any different from fader riding?
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1answer
50 views
Dynamic markings
Okay, So I understand the staccato and crescendo and dimeniundo markings, and the accent mark...
But what is the less than and greater than mark mean that I highlighted?
This is Czerny First ...
4
votes
1answer
73 views
Is my understanding about this dynamics correct?
Sorry if my question is too simple or obvious to the experienced piano players,
so the piece starts with the dynamics "f" and "marcato",
f - loud
marcato - stressed, pronounced
...
0
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1answer
63 views
What are some piano books that focus on expressions? [closed]
This image was shown in a youtube tutorial video, I was wondering what are some piano EXERCISE books that focus on expressions, such as dynamics, articulations phrasing and etc.
I looked on amazon but ...
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1answer
68 views
Writing dynamics separately with Lilypond
I've recently been engraving more and more with Lilypond, and I stumbled upon a .ly file on Mutopia (public domain scores engraved with Lilypond) where the dynamics and articulations are written ...
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1answer
1k views
Is there a difference between 'decrescendo' and 'diminuendo'?
I'm a lifelong musician, and this is something I've always wondered about. I know that decrescendo translates to "decreasing" and diminuendo to "diminishing", but does this have any practical ...
2
votes
1answer
38 views
Using different dynamics for different staves of the same instrument in MuseScore
I want to use different dynamics ( p and ff for treble and bass staff respectively) in Musescore 3.4.2 but always the last one I've entered has the effect and the former gets kind of discarded.
Is it ...
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3answers
62 views
Custom dynamic mark attached to a note, but not postponning the next
I am in the process of engraving a piano sheet, and I wrote a custom dynamic mark with the look of which I am very happy, but the behavior, not totally. It is the following :
mff = \tweak DynamicText....
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3answers
79 views
What instrument(s) lend themselves to playing different dynamics rapidly? [closed]
I'm a composer. What instrument(s) would it be easiest to play parts like this on? Thinking along the lines of unpitched percussion, but I'm open to anything. For example:
3
votes
1answer
131 views
Mastering oboe dynamics
I have been playing the oboe for a term now, and I have come across some songs that require me to use dynamics. How do you achieve dynamics on the oboe, and what exercises can you do to master it.
5
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2answers
124 views
Midi Volume “Compression”?
Suppose your midi instrument, say a piano vst, has 16 "layers". When you input a note at velocity "1", you'll hear a very quiet ppp note. When you input the same note at velocity "127", you'll hear a ...
2
votes
1answer
95 views
Repeated forte dynamics in more than 10 measures, What does that mean?
As I arrange the Scherzo movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for a piano quintet(though I might expand this out to a sextet and use a double bass in place of a second cello), I notice something odd ...
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1answer
111 views
Enhancing the effect of Crescendo/Diminuendo in musescore
I just want to know how can I steep the gradient of crescendo (or diminuendo) effect in Musescore?
In normal situations it's like there are no effects at all.
I'm using Musescore 3.2.
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2answers
236 views
Correct abbreviation for “niente”?
“Niente” (“nothing”) is used to start a crescendo from silence or end a diminuendo with silence.
Some scores spell it out fully (from “Titanic Suite”, published by Hal Leonard):
Other scores ...
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3answers
159 views
Fortepiano (fp) for the piano forte: are there examples in music literature? [duplicate]
A brass player I know plays fp by applying it to a single note. For the piano this is not possible. Reading a recent question and some comments below it, I wonder: are there examples of fp in music ...
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3answers
2k views
Dynamic marking “f-p”
I know that:
The dynamic marking f means forte, or play loud. And that p means piano, or play soft.
The dynamic marking fp means fortepiano, or play this note loud, and play the following notes ...
6
votes
1answer
137 views
Is this fortissimo passage in the flute possible?
I am writing this piece for a piano flute duet to represent Spring and it has 3 main sections. Those sections are:
A - Quiet, Molto adagio, A minor, very melodic, rocking fifths in the bass, melody ...
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4answers
2k views
Dynamics using m, r, s, and z. What do they mean?
I've seen these dynamics that are notated with: 'm', 'r', 's', and 'z', but I don't know what the mean. I might have an idea to what 'm' means, which might mean 'medium' like in mp or mf, but I don't ...
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4answers
698 views
Does Sforzando really mean a stronger accent?
I come across sforzando a lot as an arranger and even just as a classical music listener. I was told by my piano teacher that sforzando means a stronger accent than your typical accent mark. But I ...
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2answers
786 views
How should I notate an intermediate dynamic between mp and mf?
I know this is a question that’s been asked before, but I haven’t found an answer that suits my needs.
Consider the following example [edit: new excerpt, to include all swells and to remove other ...
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3answers
629 views
Più, meno, poco & molto: How to write incremental dynamics?
I’m a self-taught amateur composer, and whilst the standard dynamics of ppp to fff go a long way, over time I’ve wanted to use some additional instructions to indicate incremental dynamics between ...
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1answer
116 views
Is there a difference between Espirando and Mancando?
I've seen both these terms listed in online music glossaries as meaning "dying away", but neither entry ever refers to the other. Are there any real-world differences in how these are interpreted?
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2answers
179 views
What is the point of repeating the same dynamic mark?
See this video
The audio is the orchestral version of Shosty 7, but the video shows a two piano arrangement, which is what the question is about. If you look at 1:06:...
4
votes
1answer
66 views
Will a forte tympani overpower a quiet orchestra?
So far, I have been mainly using the tympani in my orchestration of the Pathetique Sonata for the purpose of adding an accent. It might change later on to having a more important role but right now, ...
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4answers
4k views
How do pianists reach extremely loud dynamics?
This question of mine started when I heard the piano score of Mars by Gustav Holst. Here is the piano score:
How do the pianists even reach triple f? I myself have ...
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votes
3answers
245 views
What is the best way to play with dynamics on the violin?
I've just started playing the violin, and have come to dynamics (forte, piano, etc.). To play forte, I push the bow hard, and for piano, I push the bow lightly. Is this the right method? Are there any ...
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1answer
149 views
Polyphony vs Monophony
I am taking a basic music class as an elective and was given a chart to compare monophony and polyphony. The elements within the chart are: Melody, Accompaniment, Harmony, Rhythm of Words, Dynamics ...
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What is the difference between accent and sforzando?
In particular, on cello. I got the impression that both are strong (either by pressure or speed) at the beginning of the note, followed by quick release of pressure/speed. What is the difference ...
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2answers
466 views
Why do arpeggios tend to blend at quiet dynamics?
I notice this especially in the arpeggio passage of the Solfeggio in C minor. But when I am playing very fast arpeggios, the notes either stay separate or blend depending on the dynamic. At forte, ...
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4answers
2k views
Why were dynamic markings not really used in the Baroque and Classical period?
Why is it that dynamics only really began to be frequently used from the Romantic period onward? Also what was the first recorded use of dynamics because I read on Wikipedia that it was first century ...
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0answers
31 views
Normalize a collection of WAVS in an homogenous way without loosing a bit of dynamic range
I ripped all my CDs of a band, and would like to do a loseless flac compilation. The degree of volume and compression is different in every album.
What's the easiest way to normalize by RMS a ...
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2answers
428 views
Dynamic markings and relative sound levels of instuments
In an orchestra, various instruments have different "perceived output volume" capabilities and these change across registers. For example, flutes get louder in their higher register, bassoons are ...
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1answer
144 views
What do I do if a fp marking is in between two notes?
How can i play the section with forte piano fp where fp is between two notes
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1answer
95 views
Is there a specific term for the orchestral bursts in The Firebird?
In Stravinsky's Firebird, during the Danse Infernale section, there are several very short, jarring bursts from the orchestra. These bursts have an unusual dynamic quality in that the attack is not at ...
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2answers
1k views
Crescendo and accelerando throughout, how?
I hear this in most piano transcriptions and in all orchestras when I hear In the Hall of the Mountain King. It is as though Edvard Grieg wrote cresc. and accel. and pp and left it at that. I did hear ...
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4answers
891 views
How to play forte-piano chord on piano?
In Beethoven's Pathetique, how do you play the fortepiano chords in the third movement (rondo)? I can easily do this on a wind instrument by changing wind speed, but on piano, I have no idea how to ...
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4answers
2k views
Do contemporary singers sound “wrong” without a microphone?
When I play guitar and sing, it isn’t very loud because I mix my head voice with falsetto. It’s impossible for me to know what this sounds like without recording my voice- but the only way to record ...
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4answers
465 views
How can I make sure my mix is not “bricked” before sending it to be professionally mastered?
In the instructions provided to me by the service I'm using to have my album mastered, the engineers include this advice:
Include any desired processing, such as compression and equalization, but be ...
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1answer
324 views
Sforzando but fortissimo, how to fix that?
I wished that Musescore could recognize the note velocity of other instruments when I just put in a series of sforzandos in 1 instrument followed by forte to recognize that it needs to do a crescendo. ...
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3answers
647 views
Is it necessary to put nuances indication at the start and end of a crescendo/decrescendo?
On one song I'm writing, I'd like to finish the song with a decrescendo on two measures.
My question is, is it better (or at least useful) to add a nuance at the end of the decrescendo like in the ...
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3answers
2k views
digital piano volume
I have a Yamaha P-115. Earlier I had a tutor coming home and he used to keep the volume 2-3 notches below the max. Now, I am in a different city, and go to a tutor in a music school, where I play a ...
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1answer
127 views
Can I use the G2 Pedal to simply act as a volume pedal?
I have access to a Guitar Effects Pedal G2 by Zoom (https://www.zoom-na.com/sites/default/files/products/downloads/pdfs/G2.pdf) and I've been perusing the manual for a distortion-free volume ...
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2answers
206 views
Determining dynamics of individual parts in music group
I have been lately wondering how to determine dynamics of individual parts in music group. As we all know sheet music many times doesn't provide all dynamics and phrasing.
It seems obvious to me, ...
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2answers
3k views
Where should dynamics marking be written?
I am recently writing a piece for violin and piano. Should I write the f and p dynamic markings of the violin above the stave of violin or below?
Also, should tempo markings such as rit. written on ...
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3answers
1k views
Do you always play the melody louder than the accompaniment, unless specified?
The moonlight sonata 1st movement by Beethoven, for example, has a melody on top with an accompaniment with the left AND right hand (starts at measure 5). People usually say that you play the melody ...
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3answers
244 views
Are anti-accents used for the piano?
According to wikipedia, anti-accents: accents that tell you to play a note softer than the surrounding notes, which are indicated by a breve (slightly softer), parentheses (significantly softer) and ...
