Piano Definitions

Discover the most common and esoteric piano and music theory definitions below.

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Most Common Piano Terms

Chord

A group of notes played simultaneously to create harmony.

Scale

A series of notes in ascending or descending order, forming the basis of a key.

Key Signature

Sharps or flats placed at the beginning of a staff to indicate the key of a piece.

Arpeggio

The notes of a chord played one after the other, instead of all at once.

Octave

The interval between one musical pitch and another with double or half its frequency.

Tempo

The speed at which a piece of music is played.

Pedal

Foot-operated levers on the piano that modify the sound (sustain, soft, sostenuto).

Treble Clef

The symbol indicating notes played by the right hand on the piano.

Bass Clef

The symbol indicating notes played by the left hand on the piano.

List of Piano Definitions

A tempo – Return to the original speed after a deviation.
Accelerando – Gradually increasing tempo.
Accidental – Sharp (♯), flat (♭), or natural (♮) altering the pitch.
Action – Mechanism connecting keys to hammers.
Aeolian mode – Minor scale pattern starting on the sixth degree of a major scale.
Affettuoso – Tender, expressive playing.
Agitato – Agitated, restless style.
Alberti bass – Broken chord accompaniment pattern.
Alla breve – Cut time (2/2).
Andante – Moderately slow, walking pace.
Animato – Lively and spirited playing.
Appoggiatura – Grace note taking part of the main note’s value.
Arpeggio – Notes of a chord played sequentially.
Articulation – How notes are connected or separated.
Augmented chord – Triad with a raised fifth.
Auxiliary note – Non-chord tone neighboring a chord tone.
Balance rail – Rail in piano action supporting the keys.
Bar line – Vertical line dividing measures.
Bass clef – Clef for left-hand notes.
Beam – Line connecting multiple notes.
Bench – Seat for piano playing.
Binary form – Musical form with two sections (AB).
Black keys – Raised keys producing sharps and flats.
Broken chord – Chord tones played one after another.
Bridge – Transfers string vibrations to the soundboard.
Brio – Play with vigor.
Cadence – Chord progression ending a phrase.
Cadenza – Virtuosic solo passage.
Canon – Imitative counterpoint where voices enter successively.
Capo d’astro bar – Metal bar holding strings near the tuning pins.
Capriccio – Free, lively piece.
Chord – Three or more notes played simultaneously.
Chord inversion – Rearranging chord notes so a non-root is in the bass.
Chromatic scale – Scale of consecutive half steps.
Clavier – Historical term for keyboard instruments.
Coda – Concluding section of a piece.
Composer – Person who writes music.
Counterpoint – Interweaving of independent melodic lines.
Crescendo – Gradually increasing volume.
Cross-hand – Technique where one hand crosses over the other.
Damper – Felt pad that stops a string from vibrating.
Damper pedal (sustain pedal) – Right pedal; lifts all dampers.
Diatonic scale – Seven-note scale of whole and half steps.
Diminuendo – Gradually getting softer.
Dissonance – Combination of notes creating tension.
Double bar line – Two vertical lines indicating the end of a section.
Double octave – Playing two octaves at once.
Downbeat – The first beat of a measure.
Dynamic – Volume or intensity of music (piano, forte, etc.).
Fermata – Hold a note or rest longer than its value.
Forte – Loud.
Fortepiano – Early piano; or sudden dynamic from loud to soft.
Fortissimo – Very loud.
Finger numbering – Standard 1–5 notation for fingers.
Finger legato – Smooth connection between notes without pedal.
Finger substitution – Changing fingers on a note to prepare for the next.
Flat (♭) – Lowers a note by one semitone.
Floating pedal – Light, subtle use of the sustain pedal.
Fugue – Contrapuntal composition with a recurring theme.
Function (harmonic) – Role of a chord in a key (tonic, dominant, subdominant).
Fingering chart – Diagram showing recommended finger positions.
Finger independence – Ability to move fingers separately.
Frame – Metal structure supporting piano strings.
Full scale – Complete scale ascending and descending.
Functional harmony – Chords organized around their role in a key.
Glissando – Sliding fingers rapidly across keys.
Grand piano – Large horizontal piano with strings and soundboard arranged horizontally.
Grand staff – Combination of treble and bass clefs.
Grave – Very slow and solemn tempo.
Half step (semitone) – Distance between two adjacent keys.
Hand crossing – One hand moving over the other.
Harmonic – Overtone produced naturally or artificially.
Harmonic minor scale – Minor scale with raised 7th degree.
Harmony – Combination of notes played together.
Harpsichord – Early keyboard instrument with plucked strings.
Ledger lines – Lines for notes outside the staff.
Legato – Smooth, connected notes.
Lento – Slow tempo.
Lid – Top cover of a grand piano.
Line (staff) – Five horizontal lines for notation.
Lydian mode – Major scale with raised 4th degree.
Maestoso – Majestic, stately style.
Major chord – Triad with root, major third, perfect fifth.
Major scale – Seven-note scale in W-W-H-W-W-W-H pattern.
Mano destra – Right hand.
Mano sinistra – Left hand.
Marcato – Notes played with emphasis.
Measure (bar) – Segment of music defined by beats.
Melodic minor scale – Minor scale with raised 6th and 7th ascending.
Meter – Organization of beats.
Middle C – Center C on piano.
Minor chord – Triad with root, minor third, perfect fifth.
Minor scale – Seven-note scale (natural, harmonic, melodic).
Modulation – Change from one key to another.
Monophony – Single melodic line.
Motif – Short musical idea.
Movement – Self-contained section of a larger work.
Octave – Interval spanning eight notes; notes eight scale degrees apart.
Octave displacement – Melody or chord played an octave higher or lower.
Offbeat – Weak beats or unaccented emphasis.
Opus – Number assigned to a work chronologically.
Ornament – Decorative note (trill, mordent, grace note).
Ottava (8va) – Play an octave higher or lower.
Overtones – Harmonics along with the fundamental pitch.
Pedal – Foot lever modifying piano sound.
Pedal markings – Notation indicating pedal use.
Pentatonic scale – Five-note scale.
Pianissimo (pp) – Very soft.
Piano (p) – Soft.
Pianoforte – Original name of piano, “soft-loud.”
Pitch – Frequency of a note.
Plagal cadence – IV to I chord progression.
Polyphony – Multiple melodic lines simultaneously.
Portamento – Smooth sliding between pitches.
Presto – Very fast tempo.
Prima volta – First ending in repeats.
Program music – Music evoking narrative or scene.
Progression – Sequence of chords.
Pulse – Steady underlying beat.
Quarter note – One beat in 4/4.
Quintuplet – Five notes in time of four.
Rallentando (rall.) – Gradually slowing.
Rhapsody – Free-form expressive composition.
Ritardando (rit.) – Gradually decreasing tempo.
Roman numeral analysis – Chords represented with Roman numerals.
Roll (arpeggiated chord) – Rapidly play chord notes sequentially.
Rubato – Flexible tempo for expression.
Run – Fast sequence of notes.
Repeat sign – Symbol to repeat section.
Rest – Symbol indicating silence.
Right-hand melody – Melody played by right hand.
Sforzando (sfz) – Sudden strong accent.
Sforzato-piano (sfp) – Strong accent then immediately soft.
Sharp (♯) – Raises a note by one semitone.
Sheet music – Written music notation.
Sostenuto pedal – Middle pedal; sustains selected notes.
Sonata – Multi-movement composition.
Sonatina – Short sonata, often for students.
Soundboard – Wooden board amplifying string vibrations.
Staff (stave) – Five horizontal lines for music notation.
Staccato – Short, detached notes.
Subdominant – Fourth scale degree; chord built on it.
Suspended chord (sus) – Third replaced by 2nd (sus2) or 4th (sus4).
Sustain pedal – Right pedal; lifts all dampers.
Syncopation – Accents on weak beats.
Tessitura – Comfortable note range for pianist.
Tie – Curved line connecting same-pitch notes.
Time signature – Beats per measure and note value for one beat.
Tonic – First scale degree; main note of a key.
Tremolo – Rapid repetition of a note or chord.
Trill – Rapid alternation between two adjacent notes.
Treble clef – Clef for right-hand notes.
Turn – Ornament of four notes around a principal note.
Unison – Notes of same pitch played together.
Upper register – High piano range.
Vibrato – Slight pitch fluctuation (expressive imitation).
Voice – Melodic line or part.
Voicing – Balancing notes in a chord.
Whole note – Note lasting four beats.
Whole step – Interval of two semitones.
Wrist rotation – Efficient hand movement technique.
Yielding hand – Relaxed hand posture allowing fluid motion.
Zither-like effect – Bright, harp-like resonance using pedaling or una corda variations.