Sforzato

Sforzato, an Italian word that means "strained", indicates to a musician to play a note or chord with a dynamic emphasis. This is different than a regular accent as it is written and played dynamically. It is shown by the abbreviations "sfz", "sffz" and "sfffz". <br><br>There are a couple of similar terms that have slight differences that have led to an overlapping of meanings. "Sforzando" (notice the "nd"), is an Italian word that means "endeavoring" or "straining", and has a similar effect but is abbreviated "sf" or "sfz". "Forzato" and "Forzando" (missing the "s") relatively mean "forced' or "forcing" and can be abbreviated "fz".<br><br>The biggest difference between these terms is that sforzato is typically thought of as being a dynamic accent, and sforzando, forzato and forzando all typically refer to the musician playing only one note in a "forced" fashion, as if it was harder to play than the other notes, or with a particular force different that the other notes.<br>