Piano Lessons- Music Theory Lessons

To put it in simple terms, in a musical context: Allegro means fast; while Moderato means moderately fast. (Actually, the Italian translation of Allegro is actually “happy” and Moderato means “moderate”). But these two terms can be confusing – how do you judge fast? What is moderately fast? And really, the speed really depends on the context of the original score; every piece has different requirements.

You might have even seen some metronomes which indicate Allegro from a certain number to another and other markings such as Andante with a range as well, but this is actually quite ridiculous. Each piece has a certain pulse to it and Allegro can’t be quantified in this way.

The biggest thing to remember is that Fast and Slow are Not Absolutes. The speeds and the markings are simply characters of the piece.

So where exactly to do these terms come from? They are Italian words. This is mostly because Western music has its roots in Western Europe and Italy was a big epicenter for music. Eventually, their terms were adopted by most of the music community.

If you study French or German music, sometimes you will run into a bunch of different terms from their languages. I suggest getting a dictionary, or use online or smartphone resources. Some of the German terms are so long they are almost impossible to pronounce!

This might sound like a silly question but sometimes you have a piece you can play with the music in front of you but you haven’t memorized it yet. You might be able to play the whole piece by barely glancing at the music but you still need it in parts. This can be cumbersome and is something you want to avoid. So how do you fix this?

This is a term you may or may not be familiar with. The plagal cadence is a IV chord resolving to a I chord at the end of a piece. Why is this significant? Typically the end of a piece has a V – I or V7 – I cadence.

So why is the plagal cadence important and how can you use it in your music? It is a certain tool you can use to add a fresh color to the end of a piece. I highly recommend you listen to the accompanying video to this article to understand the function of a plagal cadence. Ultimately, the sound is what sets it apart.

A classic example of a plagal cadence is the “Amen” in a church service. Once you hear it, you will always remember it!

Somebody asked me this question the other day and I was very confused – I wondered what they could be talking about. But once he explained the questions I began to understand that it actually made a lot of sense.

C is the starting note for most pieces you start with on the piano and a C major scale is played by playing all the white keys consecutively on the piano. You’d think that because this is the basic foundation of music that the note would be called A and you would then name the other notes accordingly.

Upon thinking about this I began to understand why things evolved this way and why C is the way it is. To understand this concept you’ll have to go way back into time before minor and major tonality was entrenched into Western music.

Originally, music was built on modes. Modes can be started on any of the white keys (and can be transposed to other keys with sharps or flats). For example, the notes from D to D diatonically is the Dorian mode and the Aeolian Mode is from A to A.

The ionian mode, which is the major scale, was not very popular at the time. If you listen to Renaissance music, you will rarely hear something written in the major. At the same time, the minor modes were very popular and the aeolian mode was one of the most popular. This might explain why A is the starting note!

If anybody has different information about this or another explanation I would be glad to hear it. These are my personal thoughts and conjecture based on my knowledge of music and it’s history. I would love to hear anyone else’s thoughts on why C is not called A.

This seems obvious enough. What would you be doing on stage if you weren’t engaged enough to give a performance? This topic has profound implications.

I remember when I was going to the Manhattan School of Music and I attended many concerts at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. I would hear many emerging pianists and while most played brilliantly, sometimes I would find my mind wandering during some performances. I began to wonder if there was something wrong with me until I noticed that often times, there would be a memory slip by the artist just at the point that I would lose my attention. I began to understand what the real problem was.

The performer would become disengaged from their performance and it would cause them to have a momentary memory lapse. Beyond their mistake, the audience would become less involved in their performance and their brief slip indicated a loss of concentration. I began to understand the importance of staying engaged in your performance and staying focused.

It might be difficult to find enthusiasm for a piece you have practiced countless hours and played on numerous occasions. Sometimes a piece of music may become stale and your excitement for it has waned. So how do you keep yourself engaged and your audience excited?

When I perform a piece I have played hundreds of times before I try to find a new expression and find something in the music I haven’t discovered before. I bring new life to something so that it isn’t a routine run through but a fresh experience. This is something that gets me excited and raises my energy and focus during a performance. In doing this I am bringing a new level of excitement to my performance and engaging the audience in the process.

Keeping your audience engaged and entertained throughout your performance is something you must master; it’s one of the most important aspects of becoming a great performer and not just a great pianist.

This is an excellent question and it’s something that many people wonder about but might be afraid to ask.

You might think that so much is dependent on the right hand that there might be some truth to this. Although, I have people ask me all the time about whether or not it would be easier to play piano if they were left handed because they have so much more trouble with the left hand. So what is the answer?

When it comes to playing the piano, you have to ambidextrous because both hands have an equally important responsibility. It is true that more of the melody is played in the right hand, but the left hand has more outstretched positions. So each hand has their own unique set of challenges and whether or not you favor one hand over the other will not change much.

So the simple answer is no. It’s not harder to play the piano left handed or right handed. They both present unique sets of challenges that can only be overcome by practicing.

Maybe you’ve heard of this before. It is sometimes referred to as the Russian School of Piano Playing, Violin Playing or just the Russian School of Music. Each culture has different aspects and the Russian’s are no exception. The Russian culture is known for their intense emotionalism which certainly reflects in their music. They often perform with a great intensity and emotion and this is sometimes referred to as the Russian School.

But is it really a school? Not so much. It’s certainly not a formally organized institution; the Russian school is no different from something like the French school. These are movements started by composers at certain periods. They brought about certain types of music and performances that distinguish an era of music.

Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff are two composers that defined the Russian school. They both had a large amount of intensity and emotion in their music. However, just because two pianists are from the same school doesn’t mean they play the same way. Rachmaninoff and Horowitz were incredibly different musicians, yet both were Russian pianists.

So what does this mean? Much like Romantic and Classical music terms are very general, Russian School is also a general term to describe a certain style and era of music. It’s something that’s done after the fact to categorize a movement of composers and style of performance.

Perhaps you have heard of a picardy third, and possibly not. It can possibly provide a compelling element to your music. The picardy third is a single note that can dramatically change the nature of the end of a composition and be a welcomed addition when placed in the right context.

So you’re probably wondering, how do you produce a picardy third and what does it sound like? When a piece is in the minor key, a picardy third is created by raising the third of the last chord of the piece so it ends in the major. You and your audience would expect the piece to end on a minor chord, but the picardy takes an interesting turn and ends it in the major!

When used effectively this can add spice to your music. In a long and dark piece it can add a “ray of sunshine” to an otherwise dark piece of music.