piano
soft
forte
loud
mezzo piano
medium soft
mezzo forter
medium loud
pianissimo
very soft
fortissimo
very loud
crescendo
gradually louder
decrescendo
gradually softer
diminuendo
gradually softer
p
piano
mp
mezzo piano
mf
mezzo forte
f
forte
pp
pianissimo
ff
fortissimo
Largo
Very slow
Adagio
slow
Andante
moving along, walking tempo
Moderato
Moderately
Allegro
Quickly, cheerfully
Vivace
Lively and fast
ritardando
gradually slower
accelerando
gradually faster
Staccato
play the note short and detached
Articulation
the manner in which a note is performed
accent
play the note louder, with special emphasis
sforzando
a sudden, strong accent, Italian word means “forcing”
tenuto
Hold the note for its full value, the Italian word means “held”
fermata
hold the note longer than its normal value (approximately twice the normal duration)
Da Capo (D.C)
Repeat from the beginning
Dal Segno (D.S)
Repeat from the sign
Fine
The end
Coda
An added ending