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.
Broken Chords
Chord tones played one note at a time that are not part of an accompaniment pattern.
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.
Crescendo and Diminuendo
Indications instructing the player to play gradually louder (crescendo) or softer (diminuendo).
Fermatas
Indications placed above or below notes instructing the player to hold those notes longer than their original notated length.
Fortissimo
An indication instructing the player to play very loudly; louder than forte.
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.
Ritardando
An Italian term meaning "delaying"; an indication instructing the player to decrease speed, often gradually.
Sforzando
Indications instructing the player to play with sudden emphasis.
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
- Demonstrate
- Isolate Voices
- Play Small Segments
- Slow Practice