16th Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-sixteenth the value of a whole note or one quarter of a quarter note.
A Tempo
An Italian term meaning "in time"; an indication instructing the player to return to the original tempo after a deviation.
Accelerando
An Italian term meaning "hastening"; an indication instructing the player to increase the speed, often gradually.
Accents
Indications instructing the player to put special emphasis on notes.
Accidentals
Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.
Clef Changes
More than one clef used in a staff in a single piece or movement.
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.
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.
Legato
A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.
Parallel 4ths
A series of any amount or quality of blocked 4th intervals that are played in one hand, and where both notes move up or down in parallel motion.
Quarter Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-fourth the value of a whole note.
Sforzando
Indications instructing the player to play with sudden emphasis.
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.
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.
- Demonstrate
- Hands Separate Practice
- Play Small Segments
- Slow Practice
- Study the Contour of the Melody
- Work on Expressive Phrasing