Let's face it: music is nothing but vibrations without expression! If there were no feelings put into music, it wouldn't even exist! Feelings cause people to compose music, and that's what the composer of a piece wrote the music for: because he or she felt a certain way or wanted to convey something.
Writing music is like writing a poem; in fact, they're very similar. Both are beautiful forms of art with rhythm, natural rises and falls, and expression. Imagine a computer reading a poem. In its monotony, even Shakespeare's sonnets or Emily Dickenson's beautiful lines would mean absolutely nothing. In the same way, we cannot simply be "computers" reading music as if it is a "file."
One of my music teachers once told me, "Music is all about energy and life." Indeed, we must try to preserve this vitality, this spirit! We must try to feel and convey what the composer wanted us to, his or her intent for writing the piece! This will liven up the music we play and make it glorious and beautiful.
Finally, if nothing else, leaving out expression and volume changes will cause our audiences to become bored listening to our playing!
Hopefully, you can see why expression is so important in music.
Words are often written on particular spots of pieces of music to denote the style in which they are to be played. Usually, at the beginning of the piece - and other spots throughout, perhaps - there will be a tempo marking written in. Tempo markings tell the player of a piece of music what speed to play it at. Here are some common tempo markings:
Keep in mind that there are many, many, more tempo markings, often very specific. Later, there will be a good deal more in the music glossary; this is just a basic outline!
There are also many tempo modifiers that exist; these can speed up or slow down the tempo as one is playing. Here are some of them:
These are just some terms. Again, the music glossary will have many more; this is just a basic guide. Also, keep in mind that markings are often in Italian, but sometimes in other languages. Sometimes, the words are similar so they easily be interpreted. In other cases, however, this is not true, and the indicators must be looked up if they are not already known.
There are many, many types of style markings that can be added in music; these will be added into the music dictionary. There are two main points of style that I want to cover here, though: staccato and legato.
If a piece is to be played legato, it is to be played smoothly. There are no spaces between the notes; they flow together. Slurs, or arcs over groups of notes, indicate that they are supposed to be played legato. In the violin and other string instruments, a slur over notes indicates that they are to be played on the same bowstroke.
If a piece is to be played staccato, it is to be played in a choppy manner. There are spaces between the notes; they don't flow together. Dots over individual notes indicate that they are supposed to be played staccato.
One more type of marking is the accent sign, which looks like a greater-than sign in mathematics (>). If this is over a note, the note is to be played sharper and louder than the other notes in the piece.
Also important in music are dynamics, which change the volume of a piece. If used correctly, they are very dramatic and effective! Unfortunately, they are often forgotten and neglected. Dynamics are usually written as letters and symbols right under a line of music. Here is a list of commonly used dynamic indicators, their symbols, and what they mean. Even less-common ones will be in the music glossary!
Remember, dynamics are very important! They make a piece sound much better and more dramatic!
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!
Well, that's it for the information on musical expression. Remember that this is very basic information! There's much more to learn; it'll be on the advanced pages! Right now, though, I hope you have a basic idea of styles, dynamics, and tempos in music. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope it helped. Thank you very much!
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