16th Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-sixteenth the value of a whole note or one quarter of a quarter note.
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.
Dotted 8th Notes
8th notes whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three 16th notes.
Grace Notes
Ornamentations that are notated in a smaller size than normal notes and played slightly before them.
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.
Multiple Time Signatures
More than one time signature used in a single piece or movement.
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.
Syncopation
Temporary displacement of established meter by the stressing of a weak beat.
Tempo Changes
More than one tempo indication used in a single piece or movement.
Ties
Symbols indicating that two notes are to be played as one with the value equal to their sum.
Triplets
Notes whose values are determined by a subdivision into three-note groupings instead of two or four.