Diminuendo (Decrescendo)
A diminuendo means get gradually softer. It is written as dim., decresc., or a hairpin that closes to the right.
It is the crescendo backwards, and it is harder: getting quieter without also getting slower takes deliberate practice, because the two feel connected and are not.
How To Spot Diminuendo
A long angle below the staff, wide end first, narrowing as it goes right.
Find It In Thirty Seconds
Play a descending scale with a diminuendo while tapping a steady beat with your other hand. Keeping the beat steady while the volume drops is the skill.
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.
Crescendo: A crescendo means get gradually louder. It is written as cresc. or as a hairpin that opens to the right.
Dynamics: 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 of each.
More in This Section
Dotted Note: A dot after a note head adds half of that note's value again. A dotted half note lasts three beats; a dotted quarter lasts one and a half.
Double Flat: A double flat (♭♭) lowers a note by two semitones — two keys to the left.