Year 11 - Music
Understanding dynamics and articulation
Understanding metre, rhythm, dynamics and articulation
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Unit Summary
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Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify dynamics, dynamic changes and different types of articulation accurately.
Key Notes
- Dynamics and articulation have a big impact on musical mood and character.
- The most common dynamics are piano (p) and forte (f).
- Dynamic changes are indicated with crescendo, diminuendo and subito (sudden) and poco a poco (little by little).
- Staccato and legato (slurred) are the most common types of articulation.
- Different kinds of articulation include accents, tenuto, marcato and sforzando.
Vocabulary To Learn
- crescendo: when the dynamics gradually increase, getting louder
- diminuendo: when the dynamics gradually decrease, getting quieter
- accented: a note that is emphasised, shown with this symbol: >
- sforzando: a sudden, loud type of accent, marked with the abbreviation sfz
- tenuto: a note that is held for its full length, though still detached from surrounding notes
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- There is only one type of accent.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Dynamics and articulation have a big impact on musical mood and character. The most common dynamics are piano (p) and forte (f).
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'crescendo'
when the dynamics gradually increase, getting louder.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: There is only one type of accent. Correction: The regular accent is the most common, but composers often indicate more specific articulation by using other accents such as marcato and sforzando. These can be difficult to distinguish by ear, but as a performer you should be familiar with them.
More Lessons In This Unit
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