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Dynamics

Mezzopiano

Mezzopiano, abbreviated mp, means “moderately soft”. The level lies between piano (p) and mezzoforte (mf): somewhat louder than piano and somewhat softer than mezzoforte.

Abbreviation
mp
Meaning
moderately soft
One step below
piano
One step above
mezzoforte

Between piano and mezzoforte

The dynamic marks form a ladder: from very, very soft (ppp) and very soft (pp) through soft (p) and moderately soft (mp) to moderately loud (mf), loud (f), very loud (ff) and very, very loud (fff). Mezzopiano is the level between p and mf. “Mezzo” means “half” or “medium”; mezzopiano is thus a half piano, a piano that is not quite soft. If you play a melody with accompaniment, you can keep the accompaniment audible and yet let it step back behind the melody.

Three levels in a row: p, mp, mf

4 4 p mp mf

Each bar begins one level louder. The mp in the middle bar is audibly louder than the p before it, but not yet as full as the mf.

Mezzopiano as an accompaniment level, bass clef

4 4 mp mf mp

An even accompaniment figure often sits at mp so that a melody above it is not covered. In the middle it rises to mf for one bar and then returns.

Relative, not absolute

Dynamic marks do not measure loudness in decibels. They are relative: each mark is relative to the marks before and after it, to the instrument and to the room. An mp on the guitar is softer than an mp in the orchestra. What matters is therefore the order of the levels and the distance between them, not a fixed value.

Mezzopiano and mezzoforte

Mezzopiano and mezzoforte lie close together and separate the soft levels from the loud ones. When in doubt: the mp stays on the soft side, the mf on the loud side.

Practice: Play a simple scale and begin at p. Raise it by one level with each bar: p, mp, mf, f. Make sure each level is audibly louder but does not “jump”. Record your playing and listen to whether mp and mf really sound different.

Common mistakes

  • Playing mp too softly: Then it sounds like p, and the level is lost.
  • Playing mp too loudly: It should stay audibly below the mf.
  • Understanding the levels as a fixed loudness: They are always relative to one another.

Continue on Maikstrings

Dynamics

Loudness as a building block of music.

Notation symbols

Dynamic marks at a glance.

Tools

Hear notes and sounds at your own tempo.

Related terms

Piano (dynamics)MezzoforteFortePianissimoFortissimoDynamicsCrescendoDiminuendo

Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026

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