Piano Fundamentals

108 flashcards by MentisLibrary

Reading both clefs, hand position and fingering, major and minor scales, triads and inversions, pedaling, and how to practice, for the first two years at the keyboard.

Which note does the treble clef mark, and where?

The treble clef is a G clef: its curl circles the second line of the staff, fixing that line as the G above middle C.

Which note does the bass clef mark?

The bass clef is an F clef: its two dots sit either side of the fourth line, fixing that line as the F below middle C.

What is the grand staff?

A treble staff and a bass staff joined by a brace, read together, with middle C sitting on a ledger line in the gap between them.

Where is middle C on the keyboard?

The C closest to the centre of the keyboard, just left of the group of two black keys; in scientific pitch notation it is C4.

What are ledger lines?

Short lines drawn above or below a staff to notate pitches outside its five lines.

What do the two numbers of a 4/4 time signature mean?

The top number is the count of beats per measure and the bottom number is the note value that receives one beat; 4/4 has four quarter-note beats per bar.

In what order do sharps appear in a key signature?

F C G D A E B, each a fifth above the last.

In what order do flats appear in a key signature?

B E A D G C F, the sharp order reversed.

How do you identify a major key from its key signature?

With sharps, the key is a half step above the last sharp; with flats, the key is named by the second-to-last flat (F major, with one flat, must be memorised).

What does a dot after a note do?

It adds half the note's value; a dotted half note lasts three beats in 4/4.

Tie vs slur

A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer note; a slur over different pitches means play them legato as one phrase.

What does a fermata tell the player?

Hold the note or rest longer than its written value, at the performer's discretion; the pulse pauses.

What does 8va above a passage mean?

Play the notes an octave higher than written; 8vb (or 8va below the staff) means an octave lower. It ends at the word loco or the end of the dotted line.

How long does an accidental last?

Until the end of the measure in which it appears, for that pitch in that octave; the bar line cancels it unless a tie carries it over.

What do p, mp, mf and f stand for?

piano (soft), mezzo-piano (moderately soft), mezzo-forte (moderately loud) and forte (loud), from Italian; pp and ff are extremes.

Describe a good default hand position at the piano

Fingers gently curved as if holding a ball, knuckles forming a slight arch, wrist level with the hand and relaxed, thumb resting on its side.

How are the fingers numbered for piano?

Thumb is 1 and the little finger is 5, on both hands, so the numbers mirror across the keyboard.

Give the standard fingering for a right-hand C major scale, one octave

1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 ascending: the thumb passes under after the third finger on E.

What is the thumb-under technique?

Passing the thumb beneath the hand to reach the next key while the fingers stay in place, so a scale or arpeggio continues without a gap.

When would you use forearm rotation?

For alternating patterns such as Alberti bass, tremolos, trills and broken octaves; the forearm rocks slightly so the fingers do not strain.

What does playing with arm weight mean?

Letting the natural weight of the relaxed arm drop into the key rather than pressing with finger muscles alone, which produces a fuller tone with less effort.

How do you play legato on the piano?

Hold each key until the next one sounds, so the tones overlap slightly and there is no gap; the finger, not the pedal, does the connecting.

What does a staccato dot mean?

Play the note shorter than written, releasing it quickly, roughly half its value; the key is a crisp release, not a hard attack.

How high should the piano bench be?

High enough that the forearms are level with the keys and the elbows sit slightly above keyboard height when the shoulders are relaxed.

How far from the keyboard should you sit?

Far enough that the elbows are slightly in front of the body and the arms can reach both ends of the keyboard without leaning.

Name signs of harmful tension while playing

Raised shoulders, a locked or stiff wrist, a clenched jaw, a thumb that sticks out rigidly, and pain in the forearm.

How should you finger rapid repeated notes on one key?

Change fingers, commonly 3 2 1 or 4 3 2 1, so each note gets a fresh finger and the hand does not stiffen.

What is finger substitution?

Changing which finger holds a key while it is still depressed, so the hand can reposition for a legato connection.

How do you bring out the melody within a chord?

Give the melody note (usually the top) more arm weight and finger speed while the other notes are played softer, a skill called voicing.

How are octaves played without strain?

Keep a fixed hand span with thumb and fifth finger, play from a loose wrist, and let the arm carry the hand rather than stretching from the fingers.