Dynamically Intriguing

Have you ever wondered about the effect dynamics has on music? I mean we always use different dynamics when we're singing and playing an instrument but usually we focus on having the right notes and the right dynamic level that we often forget to actually hear the difference in the quality of what we play when we compare it to a different dynamic level. This has been something that I have been listening to lately because I have been really focusing on my dynamics on two of my piano pieces and it's just crazy how a change can affect the music

The two pieces that I have been working on are Melody by Aram Khatchaturian and the c minor prelude op 28 no 20 by Chopin. Both of these pieces have phrasing that have a drastic change in dynamics and require a lot of control and precision. Though before I talk about that, lets examine dynamics a bit further. Dynamics essentially, as far as I'm talking about, is soft and loud. I will be looking at crescendos and decrescendos and even terraced dynamics, which is when the dynamics change instantly. A purpose of dynamics in a piece to to create a sense of movement. It adds color to the piece. How often do we listen to music that retains the same level of softness or loudness? Not that often, it is something that is usually utilized in almost every type of music. It can also be used to emphasize emotion in music. Loud music can usually refer to anger, and soft music can refer to gentleness and frailty. So with this in mind, I'll talk about my experiences so far as I have focused on the dynamic levels of these two pieces.

The Khatchaturian is a very interesting piece in a dynamic sense. The loudest it indicates is mf and the softest is pp. Crecendos and descrendos are indicated within certain phrases and are generally lengthy indicating a slow increase or decrease of volume. The one part that I struggle with the most though is the very beginning. The dynamic that it indicates is mp, however I feel that piano is a better interpretation. The reason I say that is because this piece's focal point is the melody. Starting at piano allows the ear to hone in and focus on the melody when it enters in the second measure. Dr. Steinbauer, my piano professor, says that it should have a feeling of "oh where did that come from?" when the melody enters. He also describes the melody as very haunting, in which it should be colored with a slight swell and collapse with the phrases. It's very difficult to achieve this effect because I have to work torward having slightly different dynamic levels in both hands. Otherwise, if I keep a common dynamic level the melody starts to get muddied and isn't as clear as it should be due to the many dissonances that are created with the harmonic accompaniment in the left hand. So in this case dynamics is used not only as a sense of movement and emotion but also as a tool for separating what is important and what is the background.

In the Chopin, this piece has a dynamic level of ff to p, to pp exactly in that order. This piece usually retains its dynamic level for quite some time then quckly makes a terraced changed to a new level. The B section of the piece repeats twice, each at a different dynamic. The first time it is piano, and the second time it is pianissimo. At this level, with the same exact notes the second time around has a completely different tone and quality than the first even though it is exactly the same in everyway. Unfortunately I cannot quite describe it in words but I think it would be best if you heard the difference yourself.




Isn't it interesting, the difference between the repeated sections? How a change in the dynamic level of a piece can create a big enough constrast? Rather than the really firm introduction of fortissimo which gives this huge strength as it does a standard i iv V7 i in c minor figure, the light progession at the very end gives a very melancholy emotion to it. The tone is colored with a lighter touch which gives off a different essence.

Sometimes we often just do dynamics because it is written, but dynamics are written in for a reason. They are used to create a certain effect, to embellish a particular aspect within the music. So, perhaps we should pay more attention to how that dynamic affects a piece by experimenting with a dynamic level that is opposite and determine what effect is created. It is an important aspect of music that shouldn't be taken lightly.