Adding dynamics and hairpins

The Dynamics tab (F2) covers two different kinds of mark: a dynamic level, set directly on one note, and a hairpin or text crescendo, which stretches across a passage as a spanner.

Setting a dynamic level

Select a note and press a key on the Dynamics palette — pp through fff, sfz, and a further set of combinations (sfp, rfz, and so on) under the 0 overflow submenu. Each replaces whatever dynamic was already on that note; there’s no need to clear the old one first.

Hairpins and text crescendos

C (crescendo hairpin), D (decrescendo hairpin), O (text “cresc.”), and P (text “dim.”) are spanners, not direct marks — they need a start and an end point the same way a slur does. See Creating spanners for the shared mechanic: a range already selected applies one immediately, end to end; a single note selected lets you pick the end point with a live preview.

Clearing

X removes the dynamic mark and any dynamic-text spanner from the selected note.

Tips

• Reach for a direct mark (pp, mf, …) for a single moment’s loudness, and a hairpin or text spanner for a change across several notes.