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.
A Tempo
An Italian term meaning "in time"; an indication instructing the player to return to the original tempo after a deviation.
Blocked Chord Accompaniment
A type of accompaniment pattern that primarily uses root-position major and minor triads with simple or slow-moving rhythms.
Crescendo and Diminuendo
Indications instructing the player to play gradually louder (crescendo) or softer (diminuendo).
Dotted 8th Notes
8th notes whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three 16th notes.
Extended Hand Positions
Hand positions that require stretching beyond a five finger scale; usually to play intervals that are 6ths or greater.
Fermatas
Indications placed above or below notes instructing the player to hold those notes longer than their original notated length.
Grace Notes
Ornamentations that are notated in a smaller size than normal notes and played slightly before them.
Ritardando
An Italian term meaning "delaying"; an indication instructing the player to decrease speed, often gradually.
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.
- Focus On Expressive Markings
- Hands Separate Practice
- Play Small Segments
- Play Without the Ornaments
- Slow Practice