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Pianissimo, to play very softly

Fortississimo, to play extremely loudly

Crescendo, gradually increase loudness

Diminuendo, gradually decrease in loudness

Da Capo, to repeat from the beginning of the piece

Dal Segno, to repeat from the sign

To the end, go to the designated end of the piece after repeating

To the tail, go to coda (concluding section) after repeating

A pause, hold the note longer than its value

Ritardando, gradually slow down the tempo

Accelerando, gradually speed up the tempo

Return to the original tempo of the piece

Little by little, gradually (used with other terms like rit. or cresc.)

The end, indicates the end of a piece or a section

Ottava alta, play an octave higher than written

Ottava bassa or 8va bassa, play an octave lower than written

Sforzando, a strong, sudden emphasis on a note or chord

To play smoothly and connected

To play notes sharply and detached

A rapid alternation between two adjacent notes

Pedal, depress the damper pedal on the piano

Release the damper pedal on the piano

Glissando, slide quickly over keys or strings

Maelzel's Metronome, a device to measure beats per minute

With motion, to play with movement; not too slowly

Slowly, a slow tempo marking

Lively and fast, a tempo marking

Grand Pause, a dramatic full pause or complete silence in the music

Without, used with other terms (e.g., 'senza vibrato')

At the normal pitch, cancel an 8va or 8vb octave sign

On the fingerboard, a direction for string players to bow over the fingerboard

On the bridge, a direction for string players to bow close to the bridge

Hold the note for its full value, maybe slightly longer

Marked, a note played with emphasis

Da Capo al Fine, repeat from the beginning to the word Fine

Dal Segno al Coda, repeat from the sign to the coda section

A complete break in sound, a pause or interruption in the music

Continue in the same manner, carry on the same playing technique

The sign, a navigation symbol in sheet music to denote a repeat start point

With mute, use a mute on the instrument

One string, press the soft pedal to reduce the volume and change the tone on the piano