soft-pedal

minimize

Reduce to smallest extent

• understateExpress with restraint
• deemphasizeReduce perceived significance
• play downDiminish perceived significance

diminish · underplay · gloss over · tone down · whitewash · sugarcoat · water down · moderate · temper · mitigate

muffle

Deaden or suppress sound

• hushAbsence of sound
• quietLacking in sound
• silenceTotal lack of sound

mute · dampen · stifle · subdue · tone down · keep quiet · hold back · sit on · bury · conceal

diplomatic

Tactful and sensitive

• discreetCareful to avoid notice
• delicateEasily broken or harmed
• gentleSoft and kind

careful · considerate · circumspect · guarded · measured · restrained · cautious · sensitive · polite · indirect

pianissimo

Extremely quiet, in scores

• legatoUnbroken musical phrasing
• keyboardArray of input keys
• touchPerceiving through physical contact

dynamics · expression · technique · footwork

• downplayingminimizing, downplay, trivializing, belittling, dismissing
• softendampen, mute, muffle, tone down, moderate
• sugarcoatingsweeten, gloss over, whitewash, prettify, sanitize
• Understatementlitotes, meiosis, downplay, minimizing, undersell
• evasionevasion, avoiding, avoids, evade, dodging
• dismissingbrush aside, brush off, wave off, shrug off, blow off