Dynamics in music: loud, quiet, and everything in-between

How dynamic changes in volume and intensity are key to how we experience music

Hello, music-loving friend,

Did you ever have a class teacher who lowered the volume of their voice until they were practically whispering? I remember it working like magic when I was in primary school, the whole class of rowdy kids suddenly straining to hear and, of course, becoming quiet themselves in the process.

Or think of a politician or public speaker who starts off speaking softly, drawing the audience in and creating a sense of intimacy. They gradually increase the volume and intensity of their voice until the climactic moment when they’re practically shouting, commanding the audience’s full attention in the process.

And if you’re a parent or have ever been in charge of small (or not so small) kids you’re no doubt already an expert at using your voice to manipulate your tiny audience: lowering it when your child is upset, on the verge of tears, or teetering on the edge of a tantrum, and raising your voice when there’s the threat of danger (or, ahem, when your child is being particularly annoying).

What these three examples have in common is dynamic change, a gradual or sudden increase or decrease in volume and intensity. It’s a powerful technique, one that takes listeners along on an emotional, persuasive, and deliberate ride. And it’s also a key element in music.

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How music works: volume and intensity

Dynamic changes directly affect our experience as listeners. Just like the politician’s audience, we can be taken on an emotional journey and experience a range of emotions from excitement to that feeling of being rocked to sleep by a (literal!) lullaby.

Dynamic contrast, whether sudden or gradual, can create tension and release, ebb and flow. It can draw us into the music and keep us engaged, shock us, or lull us into a quiet state of contemplation. It can also be used to highlight themes or different sections, such as a recurring motif in a piece of music or the chorus of a song that is noticeable by how loud—or quiet— it is.

And just like the little bits of silence in music that work in tandem with the sound of the notes (see Shh! Can you hear it? for more on silence in music), dynamic changes help shape the narrative arc of a song or piece of music. They’re part of the creative partnership of notes, rhythm, silences, dynamics, composer, and listener. (For more on music and storytelling, go to Tell me a story.)

Dynamic markings have been an essential element of classical music since the late 16th century. They indicate how loud or soft (quiet) to play or sing, when to get gradually louder or softer, when to suddenly become loud or soft, the level of intensity with which you should play or sing a note, and so on. For example, the Italian term ‘piano’ is used to indicate soft and ‘forte’ to indicate loud. And there are many others to indicate everything in-between. To see more examples go to BBC Bitesize Notation, and to hear some audio examples of different dynamics go to OnMusic Dictionary.

But the level of dynamics in music isn’t fixed. This is because what is considered quiet or loud might change from one song to the next. The quiet parts in one piece of music might seem pretty loud when compared to those in another, and if we hear something that starts off very loud and then decreases in volume, we will naturally perceive the lowest volume level as being very quiet, even if it’s louder than a quiet section in another song. What’s important is that there is a contrast between the quiet and the loud, so that the quiet will seem quiet relative to the loud within a given song.

A better way of thinking about dynamics is as a framework or flexible guide, rather than fixed measurements. The guide provides instructions for how to navigate the suggested changes in volume and intensity in a song or piece of music.

Because it is a guide, this means musicians have the freedom to interpret these instructions. They’re in control of the dynamic changes because they choose the relative volume and intensity levels. And if there are no instructions the performer has free reign to come up with their own framework.

And finally…

Exploring dynamics for yourself can help make sense of the way volume and intensity levels can change within a piece of music, and highlight just how much the control the performer has.

Here are a few simple way you can start experimenting with dynamics:

• Choose a simple tune you know well. It could be a nursery rhyme, such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, or anything familiar, such as Happy Birthday.

• Experiment with humming or singing softly, then humming the same song loudly.

• Next, start humming or singingly softly and try to gradually increase the volume. You can also experiment with changes in volume by moving from humming to singing and back again.

• Next, try the opposite, starting loud and becoming quieter.

• Choose a song you like and know well, and hum or sing along with a recording, adjusting your volume to match the dynamics of the music.

• You can also try the above suggestions by tapping on a table or other hard surface. Experiment with the intensity with which you touch the surface. For example, you can lightly brush your fingers on the table, tap with the pad of your finger, use your whole finger or your nail, or use something like a spoon or pen. You’ll be surprised by the variety of dynamics possible.

Enjoy!