Accents
Indications instructing the player to put special emphasis on notes.
Broken Chords
Chord tones played one note at a time that are not part of an accompaniment pattern.
Crescendo and Diminuendo
Indications instructing the player to play gradually louder (crescendo) or softer (diminuendo).
Forte
An indication instructing the player to play loudly.
Fortissimo
An indication instructing the player to play very loudly; louder than forte.
Legato
A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.
Parallel Motion
A type texture that occurs when the contour, distance, and speed of the notes in one hand matches that of the other hand as they play together.
Quarter Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-fourth the value of a whole note.
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.
Triplets
Notes whose values are determined by a subdivision into three-note groupings instead of two or four.
- Block the Broken Chords
- Demonstrate
- Hands Separate Practice
- Isolate Voices
- Map Out Hand Position Shifts
- Slow Practice