Dynamics

On Practice: Dynamics

By Daniel Roest

The painter has his canvas and palette. The guitarist creates colors as well through tone and volume changes, or dynamics. There are ten levels of volume you need to be able to produce at will. Here they are:

pppp, quadruple piano, as soft as possible

ppp, triple piano, very, very soft

pp, pianissimo, very soft

p, piano, soft

mp, mezzo piano, moderately soft

mf, mezzo forte, moderately strong ( moderately loud)

f, forte, strong (loud)

ff, fortissimo, very loud

fff, triple forte, very, very loud

ffff, quadruple forte, as loud as possible

The marking pppp will be just a whisper, audible only within a few feet at most of the guitar and with no competing sound. The marking ffff will be as loud as the instrument can go. This is all relative. A trumpet's fortissimo is much louder than an acoustic guitar's. Just create and master ten dynamic levels in your own instrument. Combine dynamic contrasts with tone changes to make your music come alive.