8th Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-eighth the value of a whole note or half the value of a quarter note.
Accents
Indications instructing the player to put special emphasis on notes.
Accidentals
Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.
Clef Changes
More than one clef used in a staff in a single piece or movement.
Compound Time Signature
A time signature where the fundamental beat is subdivided in groupings of three instead of two.
Intermediate Single Note Accompaniment
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 Two Voices in One Hand
A type of texture where one or both hands play more than one voice at a time with large intervals, many hand positions, and complex rhythms.
Ledger Lines
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.
Left Hand Melody
A type of texture where the left hand plays the melody and the right hand plays the accompaniment for an extended period of time.
Legato
A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.
Parallel 4ths
A series of any amount or quality of blocked 4th intervals that are played in one hand, and where both notes move up or down in parallel motion.
Sforzando
Indications instructing the player to play with sudden emphasis.
Staccato
A type of articulation indicating the player to play short and light; notes not held for their full value.
Sustain Pedal
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.
Tenuto
A type of articulation indicating to the player that a given note should be held for its full value or slightly more.
Ties
Symbols indicating that two notes are to be played as one with the value equal to their sum.
- Choose Good Fingerings
- Hands Separate Practice
- Isolate Voices
- Play Similar Passages Together
- Play Small Segments
- Slow Practice
- Tap One Hand While Playing the Other