16th Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-sixteenth the value of a whole note or one quarter of a quarter note.
Accidentals
Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.
Chord Inversions
Chords with alternate ordering of their tones where the root is placed either in the middle or at the top of the chord.
Crossing Over Thumb
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.
Imitation
A type of texture where one hand plays a series of notes that are mimicked in the other hand.
Legato
A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.
Melodic 2nds
Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 2nd of any quality.
Parallel 6ths
A series of any amount or quality of blocked 6th intervals that are played in one hand, and where both notes move up or down in parallel motion.
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.
Piano
An indication instructing the player to play softly.
Shifting Hand Positions
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.
Simple Two Voices in One Hand
A type of texture where one or both hands play more than one voice at a time; usually briefly and with simple rhythms.
- Choose Good Fingerings
- Hands Separate Practice
- Help Student Achieve Sensitive and Musical Playing
- Isolate Voices
- Make Rhythmic Exercises Using Difficult Rhythms
- Play Small Segments
- Practice Scalar Passages in Rhythms
- Work on a Smooth Legato Touch