Dynamics: markings, gradations and translation into MIDI

Definition

Dynamics indicate the relative intensity of sound and its changes. It is not an absolute value in decibels: a flute “forte” is much softer than a trumpet “forte”, and a “piano” in a large hall is different from a “piano” in headphones. Every marking must be read in relation to the instrument and the context.

Gradations

Tchaikovsky reaches pppppp in Symphony No. 6 (bassoon, first movement) and ffff elsewhere: extreme, expressive cases.

Dynamic accents and attacks

• sf, sfz (sforzando/sforzato): sudden strong accent on a note.
• fz (forzando), rfz / rf (rinforzando): sudden reinforcement, often over several notes.
• fp (fortepiano): loud attack and immediately soft (typical of strings and winds on sustained notes; in orchestral pop it becomes the initial “swell”).
• sfp: sforzando followed by piano.
• subito p / subito f: sudden change.

Gradual changes

• crescendo (cresc.) and diminuendo / decrescendo (dim., decresc.), or the “hairpins” < and >.
• smorzando, morendo, perdendosi, calando: fade away until vanishing (calando and morendo often also slowing down).
• messa di voce: crescendo and diminuendo on the same sustained note (Baroque singing and bel canto).
• A crescendo starts from the indicated starting level: if there is no “p” before the cresc., the player tends to start already loud and has no room to grow. Orchestrator's rule: “cresc.” always starts from a low level and arrives at a written level.

Dynamics and timbre

In all acoustic instruments, playing louder also changes the spectrum: more high harmonics, a harder attack. This is why in the mix raising the fader does not turn a “piano” into a “forte”. In orchestral libraries (Spitfire, BBC Symphony Orchestra, EastWest) dynamics are controlled with:

• velocity for short sounds (staccato, pizzicato);
• CC1 (modulation) for the crossfade between samples recorded at different dynamics;
• CC11 (expression) for fine volume within the dynamic.

Approximate mapping to MIDI velocity

This is the default mapping of several notation programs; the actual values must be adapted to the synth or sampler (velocity curves).

Dynamics in modern production

• Micro-dynamics: the velocity differences between notes (drum ghost notes, hi-hat accents) create the groove.
• Macro-dynamics: the difference in energy between verse and chorus. In pop it is achieved more with the arrangement (instruments enter, the stereo image widens, the register rises) than with volume, because the compressed master reduces the dB gap.
• Loudness: platforms normalize (about −14 LUFS on Spotify): a less squashed master keeps more dynamic contrast and sounds “bigger” after normalization (see “Loudness, LUFS and normalization”).

Examples in real songs

• Ravel, Boléro: a single crescendo lasting about a quarter of an hour, from the snare drum's pp to the orchestra's fff, achieved by adding instruments.
• Haydn, Symphony No. 94 “Surprise”: the sudden ff in the Andante after a theme in p.
• Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: soft, quiet verse and distorted chorus, the famous “loud–quiet–loud” model inherited from the Pixies.

Exercise

1. Program 8 bars of strings (e.g. BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover, free) with a CC1 curve going from p to f and back to p: compare with volume automation alone.
2. Write the same hi-hat line with all velocities equal and with a 110–60–80–60 pattern: hear the groove.
3. Measure in short-term LUFS the verse and chorus of one of your songs and of a reference track: compare the gap.

Related topics

Agogics and tempo markings; Articulations; Compression; Loudness, LUFS and normalization; Orchestration: families, ranges and blends.