Accents
Indications instructing the player to put special emphasis on notes.
Accidentals
Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.
Anacrusis
Sometimes called upbeats or pickup notes; a note or series of notes that precede and give stress to the first downbeat of a piece.
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.
Parallel Motion
A type texture that occurs when the contour, distance, and speed of the notes in one hand matches that of the other hand as they play together.
Sforzando
Indications instructing the player to play with sudden emphasis.
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.
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.
Tenuto
A type of articulation indicating to the player that a given note should be held for its full value or slightly more.
- Choose Good Fingerings
- Clap and Count
- Demonstrate
- Hands Separate Practice
- Play Small Segments
- Slow Practice