Musical Terms and Signs

Terms to Know

There are several terms and signs that you must know to understand basic music theory.
Here are the ones you should know:

Term	Definition
A tempo	Return to the original tempo
Adagio	A slow tempo (slower than andante but not as slow as largo)
Allegretto	Fairly fast (a little slower than allegro)
Allegro	Fast
Andante	Moderately slow, at a walking pace
Andantino	A little faster than andante
Cantabile	In a singing style
Con pedale, con ped.	With Pedal
Crescendo, cresc.	Becoming louder
Da capo, D.C	From the beginning
Dal segno, D.S.	From the sign
D.C. al Fine	Repeat from the beginning and end at Fine
Decrescendo, decresc.	Becoming softer
Diminuendo, dim.	Becoming softer
Dolce	Sweet, gentle
Fine	The end
Forte	Loud
Fortissimo	Very loud
Grazioso	Graceful
Larghetto	Not as slow as largo
Largo	Very slow
Legato	Smooth
Lento	Slow
Maestoso	Majestic
Mano destra, M.D.	Right hand
Mano sinistra, M.S.	Left hand
Marcato, marc.	Marked or stressed
Mezzo forte	Moderately loud
Mezzo piano	Moderately soft
Moderato	At a moderate tempo
Ottava, 8va	The interval of an octave
Pedale, ped.	Pedal
Pianissimo	Very soft
Piano	soft
Prestissimo	As fast as possible
Presto	Very fast
Rallentando, rall.	Slowing down
Ritardando, rit.	Slowing down gradually
Staccato	Detached
Tempo	Speed at which music is performed
Tempo primo (Tempo I)	Return to the original tempo
Tenuto	Held, sustained

Sign	Name	Meaning
	Accent	A stressed note
	Staccato	Detached
	Tie	Hold for the combined value of the tied notes
	Slur	Play the notes legato
	Fermata	Pause, hold the note of rest longer than its written value
	Crescendo	Becoming louder
	Decrescendo/diminuendo	Becoming softer
	Ottava, 8va	Play one octave above the written pitch
	Ottava, 8va	Play one octave below the written pitch
	Dal segno, D.S.	From the sign
	Repeat sign	Repeat the music within
	N/A	Pedal marking
	N/A	Pedal marking