Dynamics are symbols indicating the relative loudness of a note or phrase of music. They can be found in the Dynamics palette in either the Basic or Advanced workspace.
Additional dynamics are available in the Master Palette (Shift+F9).
Note: if you wish to adjust the overall playback volume of the score, use the volume slider in the Play Panel, or Synthesizer.
To apply a dynamic to the score, use one of the following methods:
To create a crescendo or decrescendo, see Hairpin.
The default dynamic of the score is mf (mezzoforte)—set at MIDI velocity 80 (out of 127). Depending on the dynamic governing a particular section of the score, velocity (and the resulting loudness) may be less than or greater than this.
Note: Range = the staves in the system affected by the dynamic.
Dynamics can be edited just like any other text object. Special character shortcuts can be used to add the following symbols:
You can also edit the velocity and range etc. (see above). If desired, you can save the result for future use in a custom palette.
As of version 3.1, MuseScore supports single note dynamics. In addition to editing the velocity, you can also edit the velocity change in the inspector. Entering a number into this field will change the velocity of the note by approximately that amount after the initial velocity is played. A negative number can be used to lower the volume after the initial note and a positive number will make the note play louder after the initial volume. See links (below) for further details.