The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Marking
Means …
fz
Sudden accent (forzando)
sf
Forced (sforzando)
sfz
Even more forced (sforzando)
The way you can
remember whether
the marking means
to get louder or
softer is that the wider the
“mouth” of the hairpin, the
louder the music. When 
the mouth is at the left and
then narrows, that means
you start loud and get
softer. When the mouth is
at the right, that means you
start soft and get louder.
Tip
Technically, the marcato is
not an accent. The formal
definition means to play
the note “well marked,” or
distinct from the surround-
ing notes. In practice,
however, this translates
into a loud, long accent.
Note

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Chapter 7:
Tempo, Dynamics, and Navigation
83
Two accent marks and a marcato.
More Dynamics
There are even more musical markings you can use to indicate how loud or soft a
piece of music is to be played, although these are less frequently used than those
already presented. These additional markings are listed in the following table.
Additional Dynamic Markings
Marking
Means …
calando
Decreasing tone and speed
con sordino (sordini)
Muted (for horn instruments: use a mute)
diminuendo (dim.)
Gradually become less powerful; diminish in intensity
dolcissimo (dolciss.)
Very gently; sweetly
incalzando
Increasing tone and speed
leggiero
Light, delicate
mancando
Dying away
marcato (marc.)
Marked or emphasized
martellato
Hammered out
mezza voce
In an undertone—literally, “half voice”
morendo
Dying away
perdendosi
Dying away
senza sordini
Without mutes
smorzando
Dying away
sotto voce
In an undertone
strepitoso
Boisterous
tacet
Silent
tutta forza
As loud as possible
una corda
For pianists: use the soft pedal
Finding Your Way
Reading a long piece of music is a little like reading a roadmap. You’ll see various
indications in a 
score
that provide direction, to repeat a section or to jump to
another section within the song.

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