Free Online Piano Lesson 3: Know the Lingo

Source:Internet    Posted by:Learntopianoonline.com   Date:2010-01-02   Click:

This lesson will cover the stylistic part of playing the piano.  "Knowing the lingo" will help you figure out the purpose behind all of those little symbols that cover the page, known as expression marks.  First we'll start with the terms Legato, Staccato, and Slur.  Legato  is marked by long curved lines from one note to the next called slurs .  These indicate that the notes should be played smoothly and connected.  The opposite of this would be staccato .  This is marked by dots either above or below the notehead.  Be careful not to get these confused with dotted notes which add length to the rhythm and are marked with a dot to the side.  Staccato notes should be played short and slightly puncuated.  A more intensely puncuated note is called an accent and should be played with some force.  This note is marked by a sign that looks like this.

Another extremely important part of playing the piano is dynamics .  This refers to how loud or soft to play.   There are many different markings for loudness or softness.  You can see either a crescendo , which looks like a long accent, or a decrescendo , which is the same thing drawn the opposite way.  When the symbol opens like this < it is a crescendo and indicates that you should gradually get  louder.  When it opens like this > it is a decrescendo and means to gradually get softer.  Other dynamic markings are listed below.

f= forte-loud     p= piano-soft     mf= mezzo forte- medium loud

pp= pianissimo- very soft     ff= fortissimo-very loud                     

You've now learned what volume to use, which notes to play and the rhythm to play them in.  Now you need to know what speed to play. This is where tempo markings come in.  These are generally located at the beginning of the piece above the treble clef. Although there are many different tempo markings, these are the most common:

Adagio= slow     Andante=moderately slow/walking tempo     Moderato= moderate     Allegro= fast

 The final part of this lesson will cover something written within the music called accidentals.   These lower or raise the pitch to include notes not written within the key signature , which we will define later.  Sharps and flats do not necessarily relate to the style of a piece, but they are a vital part of playing music.  The symbol for a flat sign is written as ?. This lowers the note one half step.  The symbol for a sharp sign is #  .   This raises the pitch of a note one half step. After these symbols have been written in front of a note once in a measure (a measure is the space between two of the barlines that divide up a piece) the sharp or flat is in effect for the whole measure.  So if the first note is a D? and the last note is written as a D, it is also assumed to be a D?.  The only way that a note is returned to its original pitch in the same measure as the sharp or flat sign is if it carries a natural sign, which looks like this, n.This sign cancels out the sharp or flat for all following notes of the same pitch.  The next lesson will discuss key signatures and time signatures, enabling you to understand the way a piece of music is organized.