Piano History
The piano was invented in 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori in this European country popular for pizza and pasta.
What is Italy?
Good piano technique starts with good ____. Sit tall and balanced, keep your wrists relaxed, and your fingers naturally curved.
What is posture?
This note is a skip down from E and a step up from B.
What is C?
This basic note value is worth one beat. It has a black note-head and a stem.
What is a quarter note?
This German composer composed classics like Ode to Joy and Für Elise, and even though he wasn't always the friendliest person, more than 10,000 people came to his funeral out of respect.
Who was Ludwig van Beethoven?
It was during the Romantic Era (mid to late 1800s) that the piano grew into the instrument we know today. Because of technological advancements such as metal production, the piano became stronger in its construction, and also this, as a result.
Hint: It is a shame Beethoven never got to experience the dynamic range of Romantic Era pianos.
What is louder?
When using the pedal, it is essential to make sure this part of your foot stays on the floor at all times.
What is your heel?
This note is a step up from F and a skip down from B.
What is G?
Two half notes equals this type of note.
What is a whole note?
This German composer from the Baroque Era wrote an incredible number of pieces, including music for the piano, organ, choir, and even teaching pieces for his many children. He had 20 of them (though only ten survived to adulthood).
Who was Johann Sebastian Bach?
The piano was not the first instrument to use a keyboard. The first was called the hydraulis, an ancient Greek pipe instrument related to a popular (very large) church instrument still in use today.
What is the organ?
When asked the question, "How do you make the piano keys go down?" most people answer with this incorrect word "____." This word, which is part of the word "pressure," will make your finger tips turn red and make your music sound harsh!
What is press?
This note is the interval of a third above D.
What is F?
One eighth note equals half of a beat. Two eighth notes equal one beat. Three eighth notes equal one and a half beats. This dotted note is also worth one and a half beats.
What is a dotted quarter note?
This Russian composer is always popular around the holidays, as his beautiful Nutcracker ballet is frequently performed in the month of December. He also composed Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.
Who was Peter Tchaikovsky?
Before being called simply the "piano," our favorite instrument was originally called this, meaning "soft-loud" in Italian. Hint: think about your dynamic marks!
What is the pianoforte?
Scales and arpeggios are classic piano warm ups that encourage us to play comfortably and smoothly. The term arpeggio comes from the Italian name of this tall, beautiful stringed instrument.
What is the harp?
This note is the interval of a fifth below A.
What is D?
A triplet is a group of three eighth notes that equal just one beat. That means one triplet is equal to this basic note.
What is a quarter note?
This Austrian composer was famous for his operas, symphonies, and piano sonatas. He was a child prodigy and grew into fame at a very young age, but sadly, he died at just 35 years old.
Who was W.A. Mozart?
The pedals on the piano developed over time. The first pedal to be added to the instrument was this one on the far right, which makes the sound continue to ring as you hold it down.
What is the damper or sustain pedal?
You play the piano with just your fingers, right? Wrong. You play the piano with your entire ___, as well as support from your abdomen and back.
What is arm?
This note is a major seventh above G.
Hint: What is the seventh note of the G major scale?
What is F-sharp?
When counting sixteenth notes, we say "one-e-and-a, two-e-and-a, etc" to keep our rhythm precise. It takes four little sixteenth notes to equal the value of a quarter note, so one sixteenth note is worth this many beats.
Hint: the answer is a fraction
What is one-fourth of a beat?
This African American composer wrote in the ragtime style. His most famous pieces are The Entertainer and The Maple Leaf Rag.
Who was Scott Joplin?