Discovery Piano Works

Andy McFarlane

The second Discovery Piano Work written for young pianists, "Tip-Toe in Am" sneaks along carefully at a slow tempo until a sudden surprise!

©2024 Andy McFarlane

A simple scale that contains the first five notes of the A Minor scale.

A Minor Five Finger Scale

An accompaniment that uses a variety of blocked intervals with a relatively equal rate of occurrence. 

Blocked Intervals Accompaniment

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 quarter note.

Quarter Rests

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

Half Notes

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

Accidentals

Silence that equals the length of one 8th note.

8th Rests

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

Fermatas

An indication instructing the player to play softly.

Piano

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

A sign that tells the player to play gradually louder.

Crescendo

A sign that tells the player to play gradually softer.

Diminuendo

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

Mezzo Piano

An indication instructing the player to play loudly.

Forte

Indications instructing the player to put special emphasis on notes.

Accents

An Italian term meaning "delaying"; an indication instructing the player to decrease speed, often gradually.

Ritardando

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

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 5th of any quality.

Blocked 5ths

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 4th of any quality.

Blocked 4ths

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 3rd of any quality.

Blocked 3rds

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 2nd of any quality.

Tip-Toe in Am

Andy McFarlane

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