Florence Maxim

Sue Ruby (Editor)

The original 1905 publication included the following poem: 
O let’s pretend the keyboard is a beanstalk tall and lean, 
And let’s pretend your hands are legs,…the legs of Jack, I mean; 
Then let’s pretend Jack climbs the stalk and steals the giant’s hoard…
For true enough he stole it while the wicked monster snored!
Now let’s pretend the giant wakes and lifts his awful face,  
And gives a most terrific roar away down in the bass;
Then let’s pretend, in hot pursuit, the beanstalk he descends:
Jack cuts it down! The giant falls! ‘Tis so the story ends.

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

16th Notes

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

Blocked Chord Accompaniment

Ornamentations that are notated in a smaller size than normal notes and played slightly before them.

Grace Notes

Indications placed above or below notes instructing the player to hold those notes longer than their original notated length.

Fermatas

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

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

Octave Higher or Octave Lower

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