Expression

Indications instructing the player to put special emphasis on notes.

Intervals

Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.

Meter

Sometimes called upbeats or pickup notes; a note or series of notes that precede and give stress to the first downbeat of a piece.

Intervals

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 2nd of any quality.

Intervals

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 3rd of any quality.

Accompaniment Patterns

A type of accompaniment pattern that primarily uses repeating blocked 3rds in a single position with simple or slow-moving rhythms.

Intervals

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 4th of any quality.

Intervals

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 5th of any quality.

Accompaniment Patterns

A type of accompaniment pattern that primarily uses repeating blocked 5ths in a single position with simple or slow-moving rhythms.

Intervals

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 6th of any quality.

Accompaniment Patterns

A type of accompaniment pattern that primarily uses root-position major and minor triads with simple or slow-moving rhythms.

Chords

Chord tones played together that are not part of an accompaniment pattern.

Texture

A type of texture where the contour of the notes in one hand is the exact opposite to that of the other hand as they play simultaneously.

Expression

Indications instructing the player to play gradually louder (crescendo) or softer (diminuendo).

Rhythm

8th notes whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three 16th notes.

Rhythm

Half notes whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three quarter notes.

Rhythm

Quarter notes whose lengths are increased by half; equal to three 8th notes.

Rhythm

Indications placed above or below notes instructing the player to hold those notes longer than their original notated length.

Expression

Ornamentations that are notated in a smaller size than normal notes and played slightly before them.

Notation

A type of notation that uses two standard five-line staves combined together with a brace; usually indicating right hand and left hand notes.

Rhythm

Notes whose lengths are equal to one half the value of a whole note.

Texture

A type of texture where a melody is supported by one or more voices with all the voices following the same or similar rhythm.

Texture

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.

Expression

A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.

Intervals

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 2nd of any quality.

Intervals

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 3rd of any quality.

Intervals

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 4th of any quality.

Intervals

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 5th of any quality.

Intervals

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 6th of any quality.

Intervals

Two notes played in succession, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of an octave of any quality.

Intervals

A series of any amount or quality of blocked 3rd intervals that are played in one hand, and where both notes move up or down in parallel motion.

Texture

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.

Expression

An indication instructing the player to play softly.

Rhythm

Notes whose lengths are equal to one-fourth the value of a whole note.

Rhythm

Silence that equals the length of one quarter note.

Notation

A symbol indicating that a section should be repeated.

Intervals

The same note that occurs several times in a row throughout a piece.

Hand and Finger Techniques

A technique that requires the player to pick up and move their hand to a new position; usually from a five finger scale to another.

Scales

A key signature that contains only one sharp or flat: G Major, E minor, F Major, or D minor.

Meter

A time signature where the fundamental beat is subdivided into groupings of two.

Meter

More than one tempo indication used in a single piece or movement.

Rhythm

Symbols indicating that two notes are to be played as one with the value equal to their sum.

Rhythm

Silence that equals the length of one whole note or an entire measure in 4/4 or 3/4.