BRING YOUR MUSIC TO LIFE
What brings music to life? Dynamics, they are the variations of loudness and softness between notes and phrases in a song. Dynamics offer, a singer or pianist (musician) a way to show expression and feeling in a song. Using a variation of loudness and softness in music builds a song a brings it to life! Otherwise, your music will fall flat and lifeless.
To sing a song with the same volume and intensity throughout the song will make the song fall flat. Your audience will mentally check out in a very short amount of time. You need a variety of dynamics from very quiet to very loud depending on where you are in the song. A chorus tends to be louder and more dramatic, while the verses start softer and build to the chorus. Here is and exercise to help singers with dynamics: Try singing a note and gradually get louder (that is crescendo). Keep a constant airflow as you increase volume. Now continue singing the same note while gradually getting softer (that is decrescendo). Keep the airflow constant as you soften the sound.
To play dynamics on the piano, it’s about hitting the keys softer or harder to create the dynamic effects. The written music notation will tell you were to add the softness and loudness. Here is an exercise to play on the piano to help perfect the technique. Place your right thumb on Middle C and play C-D-E-F-G. As you play each note going up, increase the volume for each note (crescendo). Now starting with your pinky on G and go down G-F-E-D-C. As you go down, gradually get softer (decrescendo). You might have trouble with dynamics on a keyboard. Some keyboards have that capability and some do not.
What do dynamics look like in music notation? They are letters: ppp (very, very soft), pp (very soft), p (soft), mp (moderately soft), mf (moderately loud), f (loud), ff (very loud), fff (very, very loud).
Listen to Lexie Torres singing “Love On The Brain” using dynamics throughout the song bringing the song to life and adding emotion into the singing!
JOKE FOR THE DAY:
What is a mummy’s favorite kind of music?
Rap music
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