A Short Course In Dynamics

A complaint I often hear about modern music is that it lacks dynamics. There seems to be a plethora of musicians who have just one volume setting, which is unfortunate because playing continually at a single volume -- i.e. at a single dynamic level -- impoverishes the music. When it comes to the drum set, there's actually a wealth of dynamic potential available. Even when playing as loud as you possibly can, there is still room for contrast, texture and nuance.

At any given volume, playing with dynamics calls for a variety of levels, including -- at the very least -- normal and accented. When you add accents, you create interest and contrast and strengthen the rhythm.

Ghost notes* are a very popular topic these days. These strokes are played mainly on the snare and are so light they're almost inaudible, but if they were left out, the rhythm would suffer. You can find all sorts of ghost note examples and tutorials online.

Of course there is more to it -- just look at the number of musical terms for dynamics. Traditional music calls for sound levels ranging from pppp to ffff and everything in between. Even the style of the dynamics has been spelled out: crescendo, staccato, szforzando, etc. And by following the dynamics of the tune, you’ll find there are lots of opportunities to vary the volume of your playing and that can help to move things along and make your music more interesting. So think energy rather than volume and keep in mind that creating dynamic music is a team effort.

Terms For Musical Dynamics As Found In Classical Music

Standard Dynamics Markings

fff	Fortississimo	Extremely loud
ff	Fortissimo	Very loud
f	Forte	Loud
mf	Mezzo-forte	Average
mp	Mezzo-piano	Not so loud
p	Piano	Soft
pp	Pianissimo	Very soft
ppp	Pianississimo	Extremely soft

Changing the Dynamic Level

cresc.	Crescendo	Gradually increase volume
decresc	Decrescendo	Gradually decrease volume
dim.	Diminuendo	Decrease volume and intensity
sfz	Sforzando	Sudden & forceful
rfz	Rinforzando	Sforzando, but more so

Changing the Playing Style

Animato, Con brio	Animated
Dolce	Sweetly
Espressivo	Expressive
Grazioso	Graceful
Legato	Smooth and flowing
Maestoso	Majestic
Meno mosso	Slower, less lively
Semplice	Simply
Sotto Voce	Subdued voice
Staccato	Short, abrupt