## Diminuendo

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.