So many musicians tend to be obsessed with playing the "right" notes in music. While this element is crucial to accurate performance and interpretation, it isn't necessarily the most important aspect of sound. So much of the character and feeling that we perceive in music actually comes from HOW the note is played, and how it relates to other notes, and not simply the note's specific frequency. Now let's look closely at three (3) aspects of sound that influence our perception of character, mood, and emotion as it is communicated through music:

dynamics: an aspect of music related to its perceived loudness
articulation: an aspect of music related to the beginning (or ending) of individual sounds
texture: an aspect of music related to how we perceive layers of sound as a single "fabric"

Dynamics

Like many things in contemporary music notation, we represent varying degrees of loudness with abbreviations or symbols. You may find that these terms are often taken from the Italian language. Remember, loudness is not an exact measurement; all dynamics are relative to each other and are intended to communicate the approximate perception of how forceful a sound should be. Below you will find a chart of the most common dynamic markings:

Dynamics Table
Italian Term	Symbol	English
fortississimo	fff	very, very loud
fortissimo	ff	very loud
forte	f	loud
mezzo-forte	mf	moderately loud
mezzo-piano	mp	moderately quiet
piano	p	quiet
pianissimo	pp	very quiet
pianississimo	ppp	very, very quiet

Sometimes musicians might want to indicate a gradual, continuous transition or transformation from one dynamic state to another. In that case, you might see the following symbols in notated music:

crescendo (telling the performer start at an initial dynamic and get louder)

Crescendo (ppp < fff)

decrescendo (telling the performer to start at an initial dynamic and get softer)

Decrescendo (fff > ppp)

The amount of drama perceived in a crescendo or decrescendo (also known as a diminuendo) will be determined by the degree of dynamic distance between its starting point and ending point. Wide dynamic distances tend to sound more dramatic.

When we talk to people we get a lot of information about someone’s character or mood from the volume of their voice. The same is true in music! Dynamics add depth to our musical communication.

Articulations

When performing music, the characteristics of how a sound is produced (or attacked) are communicated by means of articulation markings. Articulations can also affect how a sound decays, or ends, in relationship to other sounds around it. Below you will find examples of the most common types of articulations encountered in music.

legato (musical notes played in a smooth, flowing manner, without breaks between them); also notated by using slurs, which seem to connect noteheads together

Notes slurred on a treble clef

NOTE: Depending upon the instrument/voice part, slurs can be interpreted in different ways to create this sense of connection:

- slurs in string parts = music played within a single bow stroke
- slurs in wind parts = music played within a single breath without tonguing, or with no perceived separation
- slurs in vocal parts = music sung within a single breath and on a single syllable

tenuto (musical notes held for their full time value [i.e., duration], or very slightly longer, with slight emphasis when played); also notated by using a horizontal line placed above or below a notehead

Tenuto (notes with small horizontal lines above or below them)

staccato (musical notes that are detached or separated from each other when played); also notated by using a dot placed above or below a notehead

Staccato (notes with a small dot above or below them)

accent (an emphasis, stress, or stronger attack (i.e., start) placed on a note when played); also notated by using a > symbol above or below a notehead

Accent (notes with greater than symbols)

marcato (musical notes that are to be played with with emphasis, usually louder or more forcefully than other notes around them); also notated by using a ^ symbol above or below a notehead, though preferred placement is above the staff

Marcato (notes with carats pointing up)

Just like dynamics, different articulations reveal something about the character or mood being conveyed in a musical passage. Notes that are separated from each other might seem “bouncy,” “playful,” or “sneaky,” whereas notes that are smoothly connected might seem more “serious” or “solemn.”

Texture

Just like a fabric that you feel, musical textures create strong sensations that contribute to our perceptions of musical sound.

There are three (3) aspects of musical texture to consider:

the number of musical layers present
the density of the musical layers
how those layers relate to each other, or the relative "importance" of each layer within the total texture

A musical layer contains a single musical idea that plays a specific role in the overall musical texture. A melodic line is an example of a musical layer. If two (2) different melodic lines are happening simultaneously, then we hear two (2) different layers of music. Similarly, we could hear two (2) different layers of music if we perceive a melodic line and an accompaniment to that melody. The accompaniment is a separate layer of music, since it is distinct from the melodic idea, and it serves a different musical function: to support the melody in the background of the texture.

When discussing texture, density is also important to consider. This term is related to the perceived "thickness" of a musical layer. We can increase a layer's thickness by adding voices, performing the same musical idea, within that layer. Remember, the term "voices" in this context can literally be people singing or it could be people playing various instruments. The key concept here is that all of the voices within a layer are doing the same basic thing: they are communicating a single musical idea, with a specific function, all together.

All these ideas combine into our understanding of musical texture!

The simplest type of musical texture is a monophonic texture, where there is only one (1) musical layer present.

Okay...texture will require some listening. Let's focus on texture for a moment...