The Most Common Piano Terms Every Beginner Should Know

When learning a new skill or hobby, we also learn an array of new vocabulary we’ve never heard before, and it’s no different when it comes to the musical terms for piano, too. 

Learning a new instrument is like learning a new language. However, learning all about the intricacies of your new instrument, including piano terminology, is part of the building blocks of mastering your practice. As you learn, the piano musical terms will become increasingly familiar and will help you better communicate with teachers, composers, and a performer. 

At Greene Music, our piano experts help beginners learn the basics of playing the piano, while simultaneously helping you choose the best instrument to take your first steps as a pianist. To help you expand your knowledge of the piano, we are breaking down the must-know piano terms to use through your journey as a pianist. 

General Music Concept Terms

There are some basic piano terms for beginners that everyone should know before getting started. This initial set of different piano terms are the building blocks of your practice and will help you understand the sounds you’re creating and the different stylistic elements when it comes to piano playing. 

To build your basic piano glossary, here’s where to start:

• Articulation: Articulation is the style in which tones and sections are played. This can be long or short, choppy or smooth, as well as light or heavy. On sheet music, this is indicated using symbols or words, typically in Italian. 
• Dynamics: Dynamics refers to the volume at which you play. The softness or loudness of a specific section or tone will be indicated using symbols on sheet music to represent “dynamic markings.”
• Harmony: A harmony is a group of tones played around or beneath a melody to give it a particular mood or added color. By changing the harmony, you can entirely adjust the energy of a piece, taking it from happy to moody.
• Melody: A melody is a tune you hear in a song that allows you to sing along. This is marked by a group of single tones played in a sequence that a listener hears as one complete unit. 
• Rhythm: A rhythm is described as the arrangement of tone duration or length over time. This is, essentially, the flow of music throughout the piece.
• Tempo: A tempo is how fast or slow a person plays. This is typically indicated at the start of the music and whenever the speed should change throughout. 

Musical Keys & Scales

We know keys and scales are essential to playing the piano, but what do all the different terms mean? For all the basics of musical keys and scales, here are ten more terms to add to your piano glossary.

• Arpeggio: This is a chord that is broken up, meaning you play each note, one at a time instead of all at once. Typically this is regarded as a broken chord due to the fact that all the keys aren't pressed at once. 
• Chord: This refers to when two or more tones are played together all at once. This allows for different tones to be played on top of one another for more complex sounds. 
• Chord progression: This term refers to when a series of chords are played one after the next. 
• Dominant: This is the fifth note of a scale, often referred to as the scale degree 5. This is the second most important tone on a scale. 
• Half step or whole step: Half and whole steps refer to the distance between a note and another. A half step is the smallest distance possible between two notes and, on a piano, refers to the distance between one key and the one directly beside it. Example: C to Db. A whole step, on the other hand, is twice the size of a half step. Example: C to D.
• Key: A key is a particular relationship between tones that is based on the central tone. 
• Major/Minor: Major and minor refer to two different groupings of tones, keys, and scales. When referring to major mode, the sounds created are often light and happy, while minor creates dark and serious tones. 
• Octave: Often used in scales, an octave is a note that is eight full notes higher than the note you started with. The two notes have the same name and sound alike, but one sounds higher. 
• Scale: A scale is a series of notes played one right after the other. With a scale, the notes are arranged from lowest to highest, or highest to lowest. 
• Triad: A triad is the most common type of chord you will see in piano playing. This is a chord with three notes, and usually has a specific arrangement of tones, whole steps, and half steps. 

Piano Piece Beginning Terms

To understand the piece you’re playing and how to play it, these are the terms you need to know. From terms related to different types of pieces to signaling when two players are required, here are the different piano terms you need to know about piano pieces. 

• Concerto: This is a piece for a soloist that is performed with an orchestra.
• Duet/Four-Hand: A duet refers to a duet piece that is played by two players at once. Four hand duets are common performances where two pianists play while sitting at the same piano, hence the “four hands” on one piano. 
• Etude: Etude, which means “study” in French, refers to a piece for technical and musical training that is devoted to improving a specific skill.
• Gavotte: A Gavotte is a quick French dance that is written in 4/4 or 2/2. These are usually for solo pianos in suites with other dance pieces, or can be a standalone movement. 
• Lied: A lied is a German song. These were most popular in the Romantic era from 1825 to 1900 and are still commonly played today. 
• March: A march is a fast-paced piece usually in 2/4. This is typically lively and upbeat and performed for patriotic parades or military events.
• Movement: Movement refers to a complete section in a larger body of work. This is indicated by roman numerals at the top of the music, such as I, II, and III.
• Nocturne: A nocturne is a slower-paced, reflective piece that is often used to promote peaceful imagery, like for nighttime. 
• Opus: The number associated with a composer’s work is an opus. These numbers are often assigned by the publisher. 
• Sonata/Sonatina: This is a multi-movement piece that is written to be played by one player, or by just one instrument. A sonatina is a shorter, “little” sonata. 
• Waltz: A waltz is a dance that is typically in ¾ and can be at both a slow and fast pace. This was a popular dance in 19th-century ballrooms. 

Expressive Markings

The next set of terms to add to your piano glossary are those that refer to expressive markings. These terms help signal the style a pianist should play in, allowing for more sophisticated, versatile playing. 

• Animato or Brio: This term signals a pianist should play with more excitement and in a livelier manner. The term “con brio” translates to “with spirit/vigor” which is just how a pianist should play with this marking.
• Dolce: Dolce, which means “sweet” in Italian, signals for a pianist to play in a more gentle, sweet way. 
• Espressivo: As the name suggests, espressivo markings ask the pianist to play with more expression or expressively. 
• Fermata: A fermata appears above a note, signaling that a pianist should play the note for longer. Unlike a tenuto, fermata asks that a pianist play just one specific note for longer. 
• Grazioso: This marking signals for a pianist to play more elegantly and gracefully. 
• Legato: A legato marking signals for a pianist to play with fluid, smooth, flowing motions, avoiding breaks between notes. 
• Leggiero: This term means light, and calls for a pianist to play delicately and with swift motions. 
• Maestoso: This marking signals for you to play more majestically, appearing impressive with almost noble qualities. 
• Marcato or Accent: This means to play in a more emphasized, heavy manner than that of a staccato. 
• Staccato: Opposite of legato, a staccato has a pianist play with sharp, fast motions creating detached notes.
• Tenuto: Tenuto markings ask for a pianist to play the notes longer, extending the length of the sheet music for a sustained period. 

Tempo Terms

There is a lot that can be conveyed when playing the piano, and with different tempos, a pianist can show different expressions. However, with many of the tempo terms appearing in Italian, it can be confusing for a beginner to understand at first. Below, we are sharing all the tempo piano words and meanings to help.

• Accelerando or Stringendo: This signals for a pianist to speed up their playing of a piece. 
• Adagio or Andante: Adagio, in Italian, translates to “walking,” and signals a similar leisurely pace. This is a step above a largo/lento, offering a medium-slow pace. 
• Allegretto: Refers to playing at a moderately fast pace, thus faster than a moderato. 
• Allegro: Allegro asks a pianist to play at a faster speed than an allegretto, creating a brisk tempo. 
• Largo or Lento: To play at a slower speed. 
• Moderato: As the name suggests, moderato means to play at a moderate speed, slightly faster than an andante or adagio. 
• Ritardando or Rallentando: Often written as “rit” on sheet music, ritardando signals for a pianist to gradually decrease their speed as the song progresses. Typically, we find this towards the end of a song. 
• Rubato: This tempo term signals expressive freedom by speeding up and slowing down along with the tempo of the piece. 
• Syncopation: Not quite a tempo, syncopation refers to playing rhythms that accentuate the off beat.
• Vivace: Vivace, like vivacious, asks a pianist to play in a livelier way with a quick, upbeat tempo. 

Piano Music Dynamics

Playing the piano is a performance that requires a lot of emotion, and musical dynamics do a great deal to convey that feeling you want your audience to deduce. For all the dynamics-related piano player words, see the list below. 

• Crescendo: To gradually begin playing louder during a specific phrase. This can be signaled with the symbol “<,” and you will also come across the term “poco” associated with this dynamic. This means to play a “little” crescendo, so as to play even more gradually. 
• Decrescendo or Diminuendo: The opposite of a crescendo, this term means a pianist will play in a way that becomes gradually softer. You will sometimes see this on sheet music with the symbol “>.”
• Forte: Forte means to play at a louder volume. This is shown simply as “f.”
• Fortissimo: This term, symbolized by an “ff”, asks for a pianist to play extremely loud, leveling up from a forte. 
• Mezzo Piano: Mezzo Piano, or mp, is playing slightly louder than the piano. 
• Mezzo Forte: This term, also seen as mf, translates to “medium loud.” This asks that you play slightly louder than a piano.
• Pianissimo: Pianissimo, or pp, means to play at the lowest volume possible, creating a very quiet sound.
• Piano: This means to play just slightly louder than a pianissimo, yet still very softly. 
• Subito piano: In Italian, the word “subito” means “suddenly.” In piano terminology, this is used to signal for a pianist to suddenly play a note quietly. 

Musical Directions

Musical directions are some of the must-know piano terms that help you make your way through a piece without getting lost. This allows a pianist to jump around a piece when they see a specific sign, allowing them to skip over pages to get to a specific place. 

What are these signs? Let’s break it down.

• Da Capo: In Italian, Da Capo translates to “from the head,” and asks the pianist to return to the beginning of the music. 
• DC Al Fine: When it comes to music, this term translates to “from beginning to end” and calls for a pianist to play through the music until they reach the “fine.”
• DC Al Coda: Meaning “from the head to the tail,” DC Al Coda signals for a musician to repeat the music from the beginning, or the Capo, and play until they reach the first coda. Then, they must jump from that first coda to the other coda to finish. 
• Dal Segno Al Coda: Dal Segno, or DS, means a pianist should go back to a particular part in a piece where the al coda is reached, then jump to the first coda and the second. 

Musical Forms

Musical forms are key piano terminology to add to your repertoire for some reasons. Most importantly, knowing different musical forms will help you learn new work faster, allowing you to recognize different sections and ideas that repeat. Additionally, this will help newer pianists play in a more informed manner, conveying the different sections to listeners as they were intended. 

To help you grasp musical forms, here are the definitions. 

• Binary (AB) form: A binary form has two sections, including an A section and a B section. Each of these sections is different from the other and is usually played twice before moving on to the other section. 
• Form: Form refers to the large-scale organization and structure of a piece. 
• Ternary (ABA) form: A ternary form is a 3-part form. It starts with an A section that introduces the melody, and may sometimes be repeated before moving to the B section. The B section will feature different material than that of A. Then, to complete the piece, a ternary form returns to the A section. This may be written after the B section, or symbols will be used to turn a pianist back to the former A section.
• Theme and Variations: Theme and variation forms feature a main theme or melody, that’s shared at the start of a piece. Following that, a series of variations are incorporated to give more character to the melody. 

Conclusion

Every great pianist must start with the basics. To create strong building blocks on your journey in playing the piano, knowing the different piano terms can make a world of difference as you make your way through more challenging, intricate pieces. From keys and expressive markings to tempo signals and directions, understanding the piano words and meanings is well worth the effort. 

For help learning to play the piano to continue expanding and applying your piano glossary, and for a piano to practice on, Greene Music is here to assist. For additional help, contact us today.