Accent
Make one note stand out — not necessarily by being louder
Related
An accent makes one note stand out. It is usually written as ">" or "^", but it need not be simply louder: an accent can be made with a longer duration, a harder onset, an earlier attack, even a change of colour. On the piano it is often "a faster fall of the key"; on strings "a faster bow".
Keep two kinds apart: metric accent arises from position in the bar (the first beat is naturally heavier), while expressive accent is added by a mark or a player. Playing every accent as "louder" is the most typical waste of an amateur.
Read deeper → Articulation Marks
Sources
- 重音记号与节拍重音的区别，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Accent" 与 "Articulation"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.