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Musical Terms and Symbols
Fermata
Also called a hold; play the note until the conductor
tells you to proceed or stop.
Repeat sign
play the previous section of music over again.
Flat sign
lowers the note by a semitone or half-step
Sharp sign
raises the note by a semitone or half-step
Natural sign
cancels a sharp or flat.
Tutti
everyone plays
Soli
a small group plays a section of music. A specific
section is featured.
Solo
Forte Piano ( fp )
loud, then suddenly soft
Sforzando ( sfz )
strongly accented; suddenly loud
Crescendo (cres )
gradually increasing in volume
Decrescendo (decres.)
gradually decreasing in volume
Articulation
Staccato
detached; short; the note is held for half its value
Accent
play the note with accent and marked; a little louder
Tenuto
play the note full value; play note in a legato style
one player plays a section of music. A specific player is
featured.
Slur
a curved line that connects 2 or more notes of
different pitches
Da Capo (D.C.)
return to the beginning
Tie
a curved line that connects 2 or more notes of the
same pitch. Total beats are added.
Dal Segno (D.S.)
return to the sign
Fine
the end
Coda
a short concluding passage at the end often indicated
by the sign shown
Pick-up Note(s)
note or notes that come before the first full bar of a
piece.
Dynamics
Fortissimo ( ff )
very loud; strong
Forte ( f )
loud; full sound.
Mezzo-forte ( mf ) medium loud
Mezzo-piano ( mp ) medium soft
Piano ( p )
soft
Pianissimo ( pp )
very soft
Tempo
Largo
very slow and broad
Andante
at a walking pace
Moderato
medium pace
Allegro
quick and fast
Vivace
very fast, with vigour
Accelando (accel.) gradually getting faster
Ritardando (rit.)
gradually getting slower
A Tempo
returning to the original tempo
Meno Mosso
less motion (slower than previous tempo)
Piu Mosso
more motion (faster than previous tempo)