16th Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-sixteenth the value of a whole note or one quarter of a quarter note.
Broken Chords
Chord tones played one note at a time that are not part of an accompaniment pattern.
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.
Crossing Thumb Under
The physical motion of crossing the thumb under fingers 2, 3, 4, or 5; used when playing scalar passages or outside of five finger scales.
Diminished Seventh Chords
Four-note chords comprised of the root, minor 3rd, diminished 5th, and diminished 7th; typically have a dominant function.
Dominant Seventh Chords
Four-note chords comprised of the root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, and minor 7th.
First Inversion Chords
Chords with an alternate ordering of their tones where the root is placed on the top and the 3rd and 5th below.
Imitation
A type of texture where one hand plays a series of notes that are mimicked in the other hand.
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.
Major Scales
Commonly used diatonic scales with the following sequence of intervals: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.
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.
- Block the Broken Chords
- Choose Good Fingerings
- Demonstrate
- Hands Separate Practice
- Isolate the First Note From Groupings
- Make Rhythmic Exercises Using Difficult Rhythms
- Map Out Hand Position Shifts
- Play Similar Passages Together
- Play Small Segments
- Slow Practice