gently

Held back, i.e. slower (immediately, not gradually as with ritardando and rallentando). Sometimes abbreviated to rit., or riten. Also ritenendo, ritenente, holding back. From: ritenuto in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music »

Dynamics – volume

piano

used when telling someone to be slow and careful. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Slow and moving slowly. (as) slow as molasses idiom.

Musical terms related to speed

Ritenuto – slightly slower, but achieved more immediately than rallentando or ritardando; a sudden decrease in tempo; temporarily holding back. (Note that the abbreviation for ritenuto can also be rit. Thus a more specific abbreviation is riten.

The two basic dynamic indications in music are: p or piano, meaning "soft or quiet". f or forte, meaning "loud or strong".

Piano comes from the original Italian name for the instrument: piano e forte, "soft and loud." Piano is also the musical notation that tells the player that something should be played quietly.

Prolactin is known to induce feelings of calmness and relaxation. It's the hormone that is released when we experience empathy, so the theory has some weight. Other research also points to the involvement of the hormone oxytocin, which some studies have linked to listening to slow, mellow music.

[also more gentle; most gentle] 1. : having or showing a kind and quiet nature : not harsh or violent.

adjective,gen·tler, gen·tlest. kindly; amiable: a gentle manner. not severe, rough, or violent; mild: a gentle wind;a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Adagio. Slow, leisurely. Andante. Going at an easy pace.