Its Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Buy Physical or Kindle Edition Collection

Christmas Piano Solos – Level 4

Fred Kern

Mona Rejino

Philip Keveren

A type of accompaniment pattern where only one note is played at a time but with large intervals, many hand positions, and complex rhythms.

Intermediate Single Note Accompaniment

A type of accompaniment pattern that primarily uses major and minor triads with simple or slow-moving rhythms.

Blocked Chord Accompaniment

Chords with an alternate ordering of their tones where the 5th is the lowest note.

Second Inversion Chords

A four note chord consisting of a triad and a note that is a seventh (of any quality) above the root.

Seventh Chords

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

Blocked Chords

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 7th of any quality.

Blocked 7ths

A series of any amount or quality of blocked 3rd intervals that are played in one hand, and where both notes move up or down in parallel motion.

Parallel 3rds

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

A sign placed in front of a note that raises its pitch by a half step.

Sharp

A sign placed in front of a note that returns its pitch back to normal (returning to a white key).

Natural

A sign placed in front of a note that lowers its pitch by a half step.

Flat

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

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

Extended Hand Positions

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 6th of any quality.

Melodic 6ths

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

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 6th of any quality.

Blocked 6ths

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

8th Notes

Notes whose lengths are equal to one-fourth the value of a whole note.

Quarter Notes

Silence that equals the length of one 8th note.

8th Rests

Quarter notes whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three 8th notes.

Dotted Quarter Notes

Quarter rests whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three 8th notes, or one and a half beats.

Dotted Quarter Rest

Half notes whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three quarter notes.

Dotted Half Notes

Symbols indicating that two notes are to be played as one with the value equal to their sum.

Ties

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

Staccato

Two notes connected together smoothly where the second note is played softer and lighter.

Two Note Slurs

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

Legato

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

Mezzo Forte

An indication instructing the player to go back to the "S" symbol, then jump to the coda when "al coda" or "to coda" is reached.

D.S. al Coda

An indication instructing the player to play softly.

Piano

A sign that tells the player to play gradually louder.

Crescendo

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

Its Beginning to Look Like Christmas

Fred Kern, Mona Rejino, Philip Keveren

Video

Want to watch videos?

Details