## 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.

They are relative, not absolute. A p after a long f passage is quieter than a p at the start of a quiet piece, because the ear judges loudness by comparison. Playing everything at one volume is the fastest way to sound mechanical.


## How To Spot Dynamics

Italic letters below the staff — p, pp, mp, mf, f, ff — placed where the change begins.


## Find It In Thirty Seconds

Play a line at f, then the same line at p. If the two sound the same, you have found the thing to work on this week.

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.