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.
Blocked 5ths
Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 5th of any quality.
Blocked 6ths
Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 6th of any quality.
Legato
A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.
Staccato
A type of articulation indicating the player to play short and light; notes not held for their full value.
Swing 8ths
A technique of playing 8th notes where the first 8th note is held longer than the second of a grouping of two; used often in jazz and blues.
Syncopation
Temporary displacement of established meter by the stressing of a weak beat.
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.
Triplets
Notes whose values are determined by a subdivision into three-note groupings instead of two or four.
- Choose Good Fingerings
- Hands Separate Practice
- Highlight Dynamic Contrasts
- Slow Practice