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Chapter 10: Express Yourself: Making the Guitar Sing, Cry, and Wail
173
A little bit louder now . . . a little bit
softer now: Dynamics
Dynamics is the degree of how loud and how soft you play. Giving thought to
dynamics in your music is the first step toward making your playing more
expressive.
Many people think dynamics means something else, like when someone says,
“His playing was so dynamic!” In that case, they mean he plays with abandon
and excitement. But technically, when you’re talking musical expression, the
word dynamic describes only the loud and soft aspects.
Getting accustomed to the road map
Often you get indications, either written or spoken, that guide you as to how
loudly to play. For example, someone may instruct, “Play the first line soft
and the second line loud,” or you may see the symbols that are written directives
for playing soft and loud. Table 10-1 lays out the most common dynamics
symbols, their full term, and what that term means.
Table 10-1
Dynamics Symbols and Their Meanings
Symbol Spelled-Out Term What It Means
pp Pianissimo Very soft
p Piano Soft
mf Mezzo-forte Medium-loud
f Forte Loud
ff Fortissimo Very loud
Crescendo
Decrescendo
Gradually get louder
Gradually get softer
dim. Diminuendo Gradually get softer (similar to
decrescendo)
In classical music, dynamics are often written out in the score. (Often these
indications come from the original composers themselves.) But popular
music isn’t nearly as prescriptive. Much of pop music doesn’t necessarily
employ dynamics in a formal way, except perhaps at the beginning of a piece
or at the start of new sections. Generally, in rock, jazz, and blues, dynamics
are left up to the discretion of the performer.
TEAM LinG