Halloween Favorites, Book 4

Melody Bober

Notes whose lengths are equal to one-eighth the value of a whole note or half the value of a quarter note.

8th Notes

A time signature where the fundamental beat is subdivided in groupings of three instead of two.

Compound Time Signature

The physical motion of crossing the thumb under fingers 2, 3, 4, or 5; used when playing scalar passages or outside of five finger scales.

Crossing Thumb Under

The physical motion of crossing fingers 2, 3, 4, or 5 over the thumb; used when playing scalar passages or outside of five finger scales.

Crossing Over Thumb

A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.

Legato

A type of articulation indicating the player to play short and light; notes not held for their full value.

Staccato

Indications instructing the player to put special emphasis on notes.

Accents

Symbols that indicate playing a note or range of notes either an octave higher or lower than notated.

Octave Higher or Octave Lower

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of an octave of any quality.

Melodic Octaves

Chords with alternate ordering of their tones where the root is placed either in the middle or at the top of the chord.

Chord Inversions

A type of texture where the left hand plays the melody and the right hand plays the accompaniment for an extended period of time.

Left Hand Melody

Chord tones played together that are not part of an accompaniment pattern.

Blocked Chords

Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.

Accidentals

Extended and constant usage of scales (or step-wise motion) in passages, often played at fast speeds.

Scale Passages

Also called the damper pedal, it is the rightmost pedal on the piano and used to sustain notes by moving the dampers away from the strings.

Sustain Pedal

Additional lines added above or below the staff in order to place very high or very low notes that wouldn't normally fit on the staff.

Ledger Lines

An indication instructing the player to play moderately soft; between mezzo forte and piano.

Mezzo Piano

Indications instructing the player to play gradually louder (crescendo) or softer (diminuendo).

Crescendo and Diminuendo

A simple melody line shared by both the right hand and the left hand.

Mezzo Forte

An indication instructing the player to play loudly.

Forte

A scale comprised of only semitones which uses all 12 notes.

Chromatic Scale

A type of accompaniment pattern where only one note is played at a time, usually within a single five finger scale and with simple rhythms.

Elementary Single Note Accompaniment

A type of texture where one or both hands play more than one voice at a time; usually briefly and with simple rhythms.

Simple Two Voices in One Hand

A technique that requires the player to pick up and move their hand to a new position; usually from a five finger scale to another.

Shifting Hand Positions

Hand positions that require stretching beyond a five finger scale; usually to play intervals that are 6ths or greater.