The language of music has its own terminology just like any other language. It can be confusing for those not familiar with it. Some terms are quite common to someone learning how to sing. Some of these basic symbols include the word “piano” meaning to play or sing softly. It is denoted by the letter p. “Mezzo Piano” stands for moderately soft and is denoted by the symbol mp. While “pianissimo” means playing or singing very softly and is denoted by the letters pp.
On the other hand, when one needs to sing louder, it will be denoted by an f in the music score. This stands for “Forte” meaning to play or sing loudly. “Fortissimo” is denoted by ff and means to play or sing very loudly. To sing between Forte and Fortissimo, one is said to be singing “Mezzo Forte”, which is moderately loud and is denoted by the symbol mf. The symbols are to let the singer know how loudly they can sing in order to have the desired result in how the music is expressed.
Decrescendo and Crescendo are also music symbols that are denoted by the signs “>” and “<” respectively. They are to direct the singer on how to vary their volume when singing and are normally placed below the note referred to. Crescendo means that the singer needs to gradually get louder, while decrescendo, also known as diminuendo, means that the singer needs to gradually get softer.
When one sings slightly sharp or flat, it means that one is singing a bit higher or lower than the piece should be sang. When the pitch of a note is raised by one semitone, it is called a sharp, and when it is lowered by one semitone, it is called a flat. The key of a song can be either major or minor. Major keys are happy sounding, while minor keys tend to be more sad or negative. An example of a song in a major key is the wedding march, while melancholy love songs are usually in a minor key.
The singer is also guided in the singing technique. When singing in a jointed and smooth manner, the singer is said to be singing in legato. However, if the notes are sang in a detached and short manner it is referred to as staccato. Other terms that are important for a learner include scales and intervals. A scale is notes in a series or succession, placed in a certain pattern to create a melody. An interval on the other hand is the distance from one note to the other.
Then there is the slur and accent in which one sings. When one emphasizes a word or note such that that word has greater impact than any other does then it is called an accent. When one sings two notes together in a sliding smooth manner, it is called a slur. Music terminology is easy to learn and will make learning how to sing much easier.
