Pianissimo
The dynamic mark pp — softer than p, still with a core
Related
Pianissimo (pp) is a dynamic mark softer than p. It often appears in quiet accompaniments, hovering harmony or the afterglow of an ending, asking for a very small sound that still has colour and direction.
Its relation to p is a level, not "another number": how soft pp should be depends on the work, the instrument and the room. The usual mistake is to play pp as "no sound" — a pp nobody can hear is not a dynamic but an accident; at the edge of softness, clarity of colour matters more than volume.
Read deeper → dynamics
Sources
- pianissimo 的力度含义与相对性，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Dynamics"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.