TONE COLOR AND DYNAMICS

Each musical instrument has its own tone color, sometimescalied "timbre. n An instrument's tone color gives a particularfeeling to a piece of music. For example, a flute gives a sense ofbrightness while a double bass darkens the mood of the music.

Think about one of your favorite songs. Imagine someoneplaying the song on an electric guitar. Then think about someoneelse playing the song on the violin, and yet another person playingit on the trumpet. All three instruments will ploy exactly the samenotes, but your song will sound different in each case becauseeach instrument has its own tone color.

Anyone who writes music has to keep tone color in mind. Composers must select theinstruments to play at any given moment. This process of selecting instruments andcombining them in a musical composition is called "orchestrotion." The right orchestrationgives a piece of music the tone color it should have to express the composer's meaning.

Composers must also think about how loudly or softly each instrument should be played."Dynamics" is the term for describing different levels of loudness. Composers use thefollowing Italian words to indicate the dynamics they want.

Pianissimo (very soft)Piano (soft)Mezzopiano (medium soft)Mezzoforte (medium loud)

Forte (loud)Fortissimo (very loud)Crescendo (gradually louder)Decrescendo (gradually softer)

Directions: The word "timbre" can help you fill In some facts about tone color anddynamics.

l. Gives a sense of brightness to music --- T

2. Soft ---

3. Different levels of loudness ____ M ___

4. Double __ darkens mood of music B ---

5. Loud -- R --

6. Gradually louder ----- E ---

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43

LESSON 41DYNAMICS

~ 'namrc signs. indicate how loudly or softly music should be played .

. The symbol PP pianissimohe symbol P piano

The symbol mp mezzo pianoThe symbol mf mezzo forteThe symbol f forteThe symbol ff fortissimo

means: very softmeans: softmeans: moderately softmeans: moderately loudmeans: loudmeans: very loud

A crescendo -======A decrescendo ========-

means: gradually get loudermeans: gradually get softer'

~~.r1 € the dynamic symbols for the following volume indications:

softvery loudmoderately softgradually louder _

- 'e'ine the following dynamic markings:

pp

f

loudvery softmoderately loud _

gradually softer

=mp

ffp

;:. ';"'ap or tap thefollowing lines, carefully observing the dynamic markings,

Inn ,J ~f

,DJ IDJ IJ DIJ I ~pp-======== ff

~ J I J IJ J J I nJ J I nJ J I J I J I J ! J I nJ .l I J J ~ ~~ pp ff ~ ff

I J J J J I JmJ #~ jJJJ IJ~j!mTJ

II

b M WM·4MM be -.,-Ie gs+

SYMBOL PRONOUNCED (Itali8l;l.) MEANING

. . '~-' ..:-- .

lesson 26DYNAMIC MARKINGS

There are a number of signs, symbols and terms whichten how to interpret the music as to loudness. Theseare called Dynamic Markings.

~ . . . ft....................... ptaIllSSImO _ very so,p piano softmp mezzo piano " .moderately softm.f mezzo forte moderately loudf- forte." loud

_U fortissimo ........•....................... very loud

There are other marks which direct the player to increase or .decrease the level of Joudness.

Cresc. (crescendo) means to get louder gradually.--========= Is often used as a sign for crescendo,

Dim. (diminuendo) means to get softer gradually.== =======- Is often used as a sign for diminuendo........................................••••. ~ ..~

Fill in the blanks:

1.Cresc. means to get gradually. .,.:'.

2. P means ; .

3. The symbol for very soft is .

4· f means .

s. The symbol for moderately loud is .

6. m means '" .

7. Dim. means to get .............................• gradually.

8~.1:'b:!symbol for very loud is .

":

L62__~!!~,I:r4 _More Musical Symbols and Terms

More About LOUt

Sometimes music gradually changes from soft to loud, or from loud to soft.The most common dynamic symbols to show a change in volume look like this:

A crescendo (creh-SHEN-doh) signmeans to gradually get louder.

A decrescendo (deh-creh-SHEN-doh)sign means to gradually get softer.Sometimes this sign is called adiminuendo (dih-min-you-EHN-doh).

Sometimes crescendo and decrescendo signs are called wedges or hairpins.But music readers usually call them crescendo and decrescendo signs.

Crescendo and decrescendo signs are usually placed below the staff, like this:

Sometimes you might see the words crescendo, decrescendo, or diminuendo(or their abbreviations shown below) instead of the symbols.

to graduallyget louder

_======:: = crescendo cresco

to graduallyget softer

: decrescendoor diminuendo

deeresc.or dim.

Copyright © MMIII by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.Note: the purchase of this book carries with it the right to photocopy this page.

Umited to one school only. NOT FORRESALE.

-......••••·i.IJNI.J'-:')·?~;{)3fj

MoreMusicalSymbols~dT;~~:Y:~; ''Cd

More About Loud and Softi Write the correct answer in the blank space.

1. Decrescendo means the same as -----A. DiminuendoB. Crescendo

2. = means _

A. to gradually get louderB. to gradually get softer

In the examples below, are the dynamics correct or incorrect?Circle the correct answer.

'i 1. *I J ry=::::::f!!-F-===t==1 ~n ===p

Correct or Incorrect

pp

2·~·i~§F~f decresc. mf

Correct or Incorrect

~!,~-,1

3. ~===. ===mf ============--

~JFp

Correct or Incorrect

How loud or soft is the music at ® ® © and @? Circle the correct answer.

-0. ® @ ®

~ ..... ~U~~·.~~llp =mf= mp =ff

® Soft or Loud © Very soft or Medium soft

® Medium loud or Medium soft © Very loud or Very soft

Copyright © MMIII by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.Note: the purchase of this book carries with it the right to photocopy this page.

Limited to one school only. NOT FORRESALE.