# Dynamics

Source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/dynamics

**Dynamics are the markings that indicate volume, running from pianissimo (very soft) through mezzo-forte to fortissimo (very loud).**

The standard ladder is pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, with ppp and fff at the extremes. They are relative, not absolute: a forte in a solo passage and a forte in a full orchestral tutti are entirely different amounts of sound, and reading them literally rather than contextually is a common student error.

On a string instrument, dynamics are produced by three interacting variables, bow speed, bow pressure, and the contact point between bridge and fingerboard. Adding pressure alone produces a louder but uglier sound; a real crescendo usually combines more speed, more weight, and a contact point moving toward the bridge.

Canonical source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/dynamics