8th Notes
Notes whose lengths are equal to one-eighth the value of a whole note or half the value of a quarter note.
Accelerando
An Italian term meaning "hastening"; an indication instructing the player to increase the speed, often gradually.
Accidentals
Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.
Fermatas
Indications placed above or below notes instructing the player to hold those notes longer than their original notated length.
Octave Higher and Octave Lower
Symbols that indicate playing a note or range of notes either an octave higher or lower than notated.
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.
Whole Tone Scale
A scale comprised entirely of whole steps.
- Choose Good Fingerings
- Demonstrate
- Highlight Dynamic Contrasts
- Map Out Hand Position Shifts
- Play Small Segments
- Slow Practice