NotePlayMusicMusical Terms & Dynamics Practice
Learn what common Italian terms and dynamic signs mean, ported from ABRSM Grade 1 style practice questions.
Read articulation, tempo and dynamics as different instructions
Staccato describes articulation: play notes detached, with space between them. Adagio describes tempo: move slowly. Neither word says exactly how loud the notes should be.
The letters mp stand for mezzo piano, or moderately quiet. Decrescendo calls for a gradual decrease in volume; it is a direction of change, not a single fixed dynamic level.
How to work it out
- Locate the word or sign and ask what aspect of playing it controls: separation, speed, a fixed loudness, or a gradual change.
- Translate the marking into a concrete instruction you could follow while playing a short phrase.
Worked example
A phrase begins at mp and ends with a decrescendo. What should the player do?
Begin moderately quietly, then get gradually quieter over the marked passage. The decrescendo does not change the tempo.
Watch for this mistake
Do not confuse decrescendo with staccato. One changes loudness over time; the other changes the way notes are separated.
The loudest joke in classical music
Haydn wrote a gentle tune, then hit the audience with one fortissimo chord, all to beat his own former student. The story behind the Surprise Symphony, from pp to ff.
Learning objectives
- Know what staccato and decrescendo mean.
- Recognize common tempo terms like Adagio.
- Read dynamic markings such as mp.
Worksheet
What does the term staccato mean?
Answer: ______________________
What does the term decrescendo mean?
Answer: ______________________
What does the term Adagio mean?
Answer: ______________________
What does the sign mp mean?
Answer: ______________________
Answer Key
- Detached — Staccato means detached.
- Gradually getting quieter — Decrescendo means gradually getting quieter.
- Slow — Adagio means slow.
- Moderately quiet — mp means mezzo piano, which is moderately quiet.
1. What does the term staccato mean?
💡 Think about how staccato notes look and sound on paper and in performance — short dots above or below the notehead, played crisp and separated rather than smoothly connected. What word describes notes played that way?