Piano Online Lessons - Your Guide To Musical Terms And Definitions Part 1!

Music is a wonderful thing, a universal language that we can all understand

, and enjoy, when we listen to it. However, learning to play music is a whole new concept. To conquer the piano requires patience, study and practice. This is true whether you learn from piano online lessons or by visiting a tutor. However, before you dive in and begin lessons, it is useful to understand some of the basic terms and definitions you will meet along the way.

Bar - sometimes called a measure. Contains a number of beats, designated by the time signature (e.g. 4/4 indicates four beats to the bar).

Bar lines - the vertical lines that appear between each bar. So, in 4/4 time, a bar line is placed after the fourth beat.

Bass line - played by the left hand to accompany the melody. Usually plays the root of the chords, and can include the fifth and third of the chord.

Beat - the measurement of time, as in 4/4 time where there are four beats to the bar. The beat keeps you in time with the music.

Chords - basic chords comprise of three notes; the root, the third and the fifth. Three note chords are known as triads.

Clefs - in music, there are three clefs - treble, alto and bass (a fourth, the tenor clef, is mostly unused). For keyboards, the treble (or G clef) and bass (or F clef) are used. Clefs are found at the far-left end of the stave and determine the notes' names.

Harmony - usually made up of chords, supporting the melody line. For piano, harmonies are generally played with the left hand.

Key signature - lets you know what key a piece of music is in. There are two types, sharp and flat. The key signature is shown to the immediate right of the clef.

Ledger lines - short horizontal lines above and below the staves. They accommodate notes above G and below D on the treble-clef stave. Middle C, for example, is written on one ledger line below the upper stave.

A second article will complete these terms and definitions, so please look out for this. If you are about to begin piano online lessons (or considering it), don't worry too much at this stage if you don't fully understand all of the terms. Once you begin regular lessons, these will all start to make more sense and become second nature to you.

by: Paul Summers

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