Less

As Printed on a Score

Placed before the word it reduces in English directions — less slow, less tone, less movement — and in force until another direction replaces it. Like more, it is a comparison, so its meaning depends on the tempo or character word that preceded it on the page.

How Composers Use It

The English meno, useful for pulling a quality back without reversing it: less fast still moves, only more calmly. It reads most naturally as a revision of something already established. For large changes the direct word is clearer (slower rather than less fast), so keep less for gentle reductions of tempo, tone or intensity.

Related Terms