One of the beautiful things about music is that it transcends language. That might seem to be a lofty ideal for an article on beginner dynamics. But, when you add dynamics to a piece of music it goes beyond just notes to a powerful image, memory or set of emotions in the listener.
What Are Dynamics?
At the most basic, dynamics are the volume of notes and sections of music. In piano, we often refer to these as the loudness or softness.
While loud is pretty self-explanatory, why do we say “soft” instead of quiet? Ironically, it’s probably because that is how we play the keys on the piano. And, yes I am chuckling that the piano world decided (somewhere along the way) to mix the volume and how we play the keys. As a comedian once said, “Ours is not to question.”
Regardless of which dynamics you play with, the main goal is to create and emotional responses in listeners. At the beginner level, dynamics tend to focus on the main contrasts: forte and piano.
Dynamic Contrast #1: Forte
Forte is described as loud. But, think of the many types of loud you hear:
- Jackhammer on the road
- Music turned up on the stereo
- Blender
- Yelling voices
- A storm
The force you use and the way you play depends on the sound you are trying to recreate.
Try standing beside your piano or the wall. Put your hands out so you are leaning towards the wall, then do some push-ups. Can you feel your arms working to support your body weight as you go towards the piano/wall and then the force you use to push away? Do this several times and pay attention to how your body feels each step of the way.
As you can see arm and body weight play a huge role in playing forte on the piano. You use arm weight to fully and evenly get to the bottom of the keys without straining your fingers. But, a sustained sound will require more body movement than short, percussive sounds.
Check out the video below or click here to hear how I created loud, percussive sounds that mimicked a recent hail storm.
Dynamic Contrast #2: Piano
Piano is the softness or quietness of the sound. The piano’s original name was piano e forte (AKA soft and loud). It was the first keyboard instrument that you could control the dynamics without the use of an extra pedal (i.e. organ) or adding additional complexity to the music (i.e. harpsichord).
There are many examples of quiet:
- A spy sneaking through a building
- A villain slowly appears behind someone
- A gentle breeze rustling leaves
- The stillness before a storm
What’s the hardest part of playing quiet dynamics on the piano? Finding the Goldilocks Zone between playing as softly as possible and still hearing a good sound (or any sound) from your piano.
Try ‘petting’ the piano keys. Start very lightly as if it’s a kitten. Slowly press harder until you create the soft sound you want. Using this motion tends to create a better sound and allows for more control.
It also allows you to create a staccato or percussive, yet quiet sound! Check out the video above or click here to hear how I played quiet, percussive sounds to signal the start of the hail storm.
Putting Music Dynamics Together
While starting with the contrasts of loud and quiet are a great starting point, life and music, are much more interesting with variety and nuance.
Here’s a bonus exercise to try out! Play one note on your keyboard. Start piano (quiet) and build the intensity until you get to forte (loud). Each note should be slightly louder without any jumps in volume.
As you master these dynamic nuances you have a greater set of motions to represent the emotions you want listeners to feel!
Create Mood Through Dynamics
While it can be a challenge to master the nuances of playing dynamics on the piano, the rewards are well worth it! Your music will go from boring and robotic, to rich with mood and emotion!
What is the most challenging part of playing musical dynamics?
If you want to learn another skill that will help add mood to your music, check out “How To Play 2-Note Slurs“.
Imagine learning how to play piano through fun activities, improvising (creating music in the moment) plus writing your own music!
As a parent, imagine your child’s smile as they have fun learning piano and creating music … plus, family and friends as they hear the music your child has created.
As a teen or adult student, imagine jamming with musician friends .. or wowing them with the latest song you wrote.
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