When listening to Western music, you would certainly have noticed a build-up in several songs at certain points. This modulation or variation between loud and soft bits is referred to as dynamics in keyboard or piano music. Dynamics control how a song breathes within and flows – how it goes from soft to loud, and loud to soft. And this is true for almost any song you pick – the chorus tends to be high, whereas the verse tends to be low.

Coming to the keyboard, there are two dynamic controls that you need to learn – the piano and the forte. In Western classical music, you would notice a small ‘p’ that signifies piano (soft), and a small ‘f’ that signifies forte (loud).

Basically, when you see or hear piano, play it soft/gentle, and when you see or hear forte, play it loud. With a little practice, you will figure out that depending on how much force you apply to the key, you can vary this. Dynamics can be applied even while practising scales – try it first in piano and then in forte.

Also, use dynamics in practising arpeggios. Every keyboard/piano has a different dynamic curve – the limits of how loud and how soft it can go. By experimenting, you can understand and better appreciate the dynamic curve of your keyboard.

An important consideration when it comes to dynamics is finger strength. You need to build your finger strength such that you are able to apply uniform pressure on all the fingers – if you can play loud with the thumb, you should be able to play as loud with the index finger, and so on. Incorporate dynamics into your music to play melodic pieces.

The upcoming post covers progressions in the C Major scale, using triads and inversions. Keep reading and practising to improve your keyboard skills. Meanwhile, get accustomed to piano (p) and forte (f) dynamic controls.