What are performance directions in music?
It is a way for the composer to tell performers their intention and it gives us an idea of the mood or style to perform it in. Try to think up images or stories as you play that suit the performance directions. These are just some of the most common music directions, with the most popular ones highlighted.
What are directions in music called?
8.1 A selected list of performance directions
Direction | Interpretation |
---|---|
ff (fortissimo) | very loud |
f (forte) | loud |
mf (mezzo forte) | (literally) half loud |
mp (mezzo piano) | (literally) half soft |
What are the names of symbols in music?

Clef
- G clef or treble clef.
- C clef or alto and tenor clef.
- F clef or bass clef.
- Octave clef.
- Neutral clef.
- Tablature.
Which things does a performance direction tell you about?
Have you noticed there are often words written over music as well as the notes on the page? These are called Performance Directions and they tell us how to perform the music.
What is a progression in music?
Technically speaking, a chord progression is just any succession of musical chords, which themselves are groupings of two or more different notes typically played simultaneously. Progressions can be as short as playing simply two different chords, or they can be as long as you want them to be!

What is melody direction?
The ascending, descending and horizontal directions of a melody, regarding to its curve, and the starting and arriving notes. A melody or “theme” can have three different directions: it can be ascending, descending or horizontal. In the first example the melody alternates between ascending and descending motions.
What are tempo instructions?
This method involves assigning a numerical value to a tempo. “Beats per minute” (or BPM) is self-explanatory: it indicates the number of beats in one minute. For instance, a tempo notated as 60 BPM would mean that a beat sounds exactly once per second. A 120 BPM tempo would be twice as fast, with two beats per second.
What are the different direction of melody?
A melody or “theme” can have three different directions: it can be ascending, descending or horizontal.
What are the pitch names?
But musicians usually don’t want to talk about wavelengths and frequencies. Instead, they just give the different pitches different letter names: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. These seven letters name all the natural notes (on a keyboard, that’s all the white keys) within one octave.