A crescendo means get gradually louder. It is written as cresc. or as a hairpin that opens to the right.
The word means "growing", and the shape is a picture of it. What matters is that it is gradual: the whole point is the journey, so arriving at the loud end in the first bar wastes it.
How to spot it
A long angle below the staff, narrow end first, opening as it goes right.
Find it in thirty seconds
Find a crescendo and play it in four steps rather than one, soft, a bit more, more again, loud. Controlled is more convincing than sudden.
Open any piece of sheet music on this site and do it now. Reading is a recognition skill, and recognition is built by finding things, not by reading about them.
Related Topics...
How to Read Sheet Music: Learn how to read sheet music using interactive lessons from Chordzy. Or browse our various reading music topics.
Music Notation Glossary: Every symbol on a page of piano music, explained in one sentence each, clefs, note values, rests, accidentals, dynamics and repeat marks.
Accent: Accent in piano music. An accent (>) above or below a note means play that note louder than the ones around it.
Diminuendo (Decrescendo): Diminuendo (Decrescendo) in piano music. A diminuendo means get gradually softer. It is written as dim., decresc., or a hairpin that closes to the right.
Dynamics: Dynamics in piano music. Dynamics are the letters under the staff telling you how loud to play: p is soft, f is loud, and mp and mf are the moderate versions o…
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Da Capo (D.C.): Da Capo (D.C.) in piano music. D.C. means go back to the beginning. D.C. al Fine means go back and stop at the word Fine; D.C. al Coda means go back and jump t…
Dal Segno (D.S.): Dal Segno (D.S.) in piano music. D.S. means go back to the sign (𝄋), not to the beginning. D.S. al Coda means go back to the sign and then jump to the coda wh…
