- A sound can be piano (soft) or forte (loud). However, within this range of
opposites there exists other dynamics.
Te rmsSymbols Meaning
pianississimo ppp very, very, soft
pianissimo pp very soft
piano p soft
mezzo piano mp medium soft
mezzo forte mf medium loud
forte f loud
fortissimo ff very loud
fortississimo fff the loudest possiblecrescendo cres.or gradually increasing in loudnessdecrescendo decres.or gradually decreasing from loud to soft