Glossary of the Method’s ideas

The 251 ideas of the Method’s theory cards, alphabetically: what each means, and the lesson that first teaches it. Each has its own page with its related ideas and every lesson, piece and Musicianship unit it appears in. A number such as 7.1 is Level 7, lesson 1.

Idea	What it means	First in
A
Accents, marcato and tenutoExpression, dynamics and articulation	Marks that stress or sustain single notes, relative to the dynamic around them.	F.7
AcciaccaturaOrnaments	A crushed small note, struck as quickly as possible with or just before the main note.	2.4
Accompaniment patternsCounterpoint and texture	Alberti bass, drum bass, waltz bass and broken chords: left-hand figures that support a melody.	3.8
Altered dominants and tritone substitutionJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Dominants with raised or lowered 5th and 9th, and the dominant a tritone away.	9.2
Alto and tenor clefsNotation and pitch	C clefs place middle C on a chosen line; used for viola, cello and trombone parts and in open score.	7.8
Applied dominantsChords and harmony	A dominant or dominant seventh of a chord other than the tonic: V7/V, V7/IV.	7.1
Applied leading-note chordsChords and harmony	A diminished chord a half step below its target, such as vii dim 6 of V.	9.4
AppoggiaturaOrnaments	A leaning small note on the beat that takes time from the main note and resolves by step.	4.9
Articulation in Classical styleExpression, dynamics and articulation	Two-note slurs, light staccato and portato in Haydn and Mozart.	4.8
Audiation and singingEar and aural concepts	Hearing music in the head before and while playing, supported by singing.	5.6
Augmented-sixth chordsChords and harmony	Italian, French and German sixths: a lowered 6th and raised 4th expanding outward to the dominant.	D.8
Authentic cadenceCadences and phrase	V to I: the full stop of tonal music.	1.8
B
Backbeat and grooveJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Accents on beats 2 and 4, straight or shuffled subdivisions and a steady bass.
Baroque style on a modern pianoStyle periods and performance practice	Articulation, terraced dynamics, sparing pedal, ornaments and a steady pulse.	5.7
Baroque suite and dance typesForm and analysis	Allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue and galanteries: each with its tempo, metre and character.	4.1
Binary formForm and analysis	Two repeated halves, A and B; the A half moves away, the B half returns home.	1.8
Blue notes and the blue thirdJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Bent notes between the minor and major third (and fifth, seventh) that give the blues its colour.	1.11
The blues scaleScales, keys and modes	Minor pentatonic plus the flat fifth: 1, flat 3, 4, flat 5, 5, flat 7.	4.10
C
CadencesCadences and phrase	Harmonic punctuation at a phrase end: authentic, half, plagal, deceptive.	1.8
The cadential six-fourChords and harmony	A tonic six-four over the dominant bass that resolves by step to V: a decorated dominant.	5.8
CadenzaOrnaments	A solo passage over a held chord, traditionally prompted by a fermata on the cadential six-four.	1.12
Call and responseJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	A phrase answered by another, from blues vocals and instruments; the pattern behind improvised choruses.	3.9
Changing and hybrid metersRhythm and meter	Time signatures that change bar by bar, or bars that mix several groupings.	6.7
Character and expression termsTempo and character	Dolce, cantabile, espressivo, leggiero, maestoso: words that describe how to sound.	2.7
Character pieces and genresForm and analysis	Nocturne, mazurka, ballade, etude: a title offers clues about texture and mood.	9.9
Chorale harmonisationCounterpoint and texture	Setting a melody in four voices in Bach's style, starting from cadences and the bass.	8.2
Chord function: tonic, predominant, dominantChords and harmony	Chords group by role: tonic rests, predominant (ii, IV) prepares, dominant (V, vii) demands resolution.	4.4
Chord symbolsChords and harmony	Letter names with m, 7, maj7, 6, sus4 and slash bass: the shorthand of lead sheets.	3.10
Chromatic mediantsChords and harmony	Chords a third apart with the same quality that share few notes: a Romantic colour shift.	9.5
The chromatic scaleScales, keys and modes	All twelve half steps within an octave, usually fingered with the third finger on black keys.	1.6
Chunking and hard spotsPractice craft and performance	Pick the smallest unit that contains the problem, fix it, then join it to its neighbours.	1.7
The circle of fifthsScales, keys and modes	Keys arranged by fifths: one more sharp clockwise, one more flat anticlockwise; neighbours are closely related.	5.1
Classical styleStyle periods and performance practice	Regular phrases, melody over a light accompaniment, sharp but brief contrasts, precision.	3.8
Closely related keysScales, keys and modes	Keys that differ by at most one accidental; the usual destinations of modulation.	5.1
Compound intervalsIntervals	Intervals wider than an octave; subtract 7 to find the simple interval inside.	5.4
Compound timeRhythm and meter	Each beat divides into three; 6/8 is felt in two, 9/8 in three, 12/8 in four.	2.4
Consonance and dissonanceIntervals	Stable and unstable intervals; dissonance creates tension that asks to resolve.	3.3
Continuo playingKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Realising a bass part for soloists in Baroque ensemble music.	10.3
Counting and subdivisionRhythm and meter	Dividing the beat evenly, in two, three or four, to place short notes accurately.	1.1
Crescendo and diminuendoExpression, dynamics and articulation	Gradual change of loudness spread across the whole sign.	F.6
Cut time, 2/2, 3/8 and other signaturesRhythm and meter	C, cut C, 2/2, 3/2 and 3/8: what the beat is and how to count it.	2.4
D
Dance characterForm and analysis	Each dance (minuet, mazurka, polonaise, waltz) has its own accents and bass pattern that survive flexible timing.	L.10
Deceptive cadenceCadences and phrase	V resolves to vi (VI in minor) instead of I.	5.3
Descending-fifths sequencesChords and harmony	Chords whose roots fall by fifths, each pointing toward the next, as in A7 D7 G7 C.	7.6
The diminished seventh chordChords and harmony	Three stacked minor thirds; symmetrical, so one chord can resolve to several keys.	6.1
Direct pedalPedalling	Pedal down with the note, up where the music asks: the simplest use.	F.8
The dominant seventhChords and harmony	V with an added seventh: the tritone between its third and seventh resolves inward to the tonic.	1.10
Dotted rhythmsRhythm and meter	A dotted quarter plus an eighth gives a long-short pattern that must not collapse into a triplet.	2.3
Double sharps and flatsNotation and pitch	Signs that raise or lower a note by a whole step; they appear in sharp or flat keys and chromatic passages.	5.1
Duplets, quintuplets and larger tupletsRhythm and meter	Groups of 2, 5, 6 or 7 notes fitted into the time of a different number.	5.9
DynamicsExpression, dynamics and articulation	p to f from the speed of the key, not from pressing harder; velocity is what the app measures.	F.5
E
Echo playingEar and aural concepts	Hearing a short phrase and playing it back by ear.	1.1
Editions and sourcesStyle periods and performance practice	Urtext, autographs and first editions; read the preface and critical notes.	10.6
Eighth notes and 1-and countingRhythm and meter	Two eighth notes fill a quarter-note beat; the and falls exactly halfway.	1.1
End-of-session replayPractice craft and performance	Replay the first thing learned that day before leaving the piano.	1.10
Enharmonic modulationChords and harmony	Respelling a chord (often a diminished seventh) to reach a distant key.	10.1
Enharmonic spellingNotation and pitch	One key, two names (F sharp, G flat); the spelling reveals the key and the direction of a line.	F.9
Escape tones and retardationsChords and harmony	Less common non-chord tones: a step-and-leap escape, and a suspension that resolves upward.	9.9
F
The fermataExpression, dynamics and articulation	A pause sign: hold longer than written, then restart cleanly in tempo.	1.12
Figured-bass numbersKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Numbers under a bass note name intervals above it: 6 is first inversion, 6/4 second.	5.4
Figured-bass realisationKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Playing chords above a figured bass with smooth upper voices.	8.3
Finding the key of a pieceScales, keys and modes	Combine the key signature, the last bass note, the final chord and accidentals to decide between major and relative minor.	F.7
Finger numbers and fingeringTechnique concepts	Thumb is 1, little finger 5; printed fingering is a suggestion worth following while learning.	F.1
Five-finger positionsScales, keys and modes	A hand position over five notes; whole, whole, half, whole gives the major sound.	F.8
From analysis to interpretationInterpretation and programming	Use observations that support an audible decision; test two versions by recording them.	C.2
Fugue vocabulary and structureCounterpoint and texture	Subject, answer, countersubject, episode, stretto; exposition, middle entries and final entries.	7.3
G
Galant schemasCounterpoint and texture	Stock outer-voice patterns of 18th-century music: Prinner, Monte, Fonte, Romanesca.	8.4
The grand staff and clefsNotation and pitch	Treble and bass staves joined by a brace; each clef fixes one note (G4, F3) as an anchor.	F.1
Ground bass, chaconne and passacagliaForm and analysis	A repeating bass pattern with changing music above.	6.10
Guide tones and shell voicingsJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	The third and seventh identify a chord; shells keep them and move by half step around the circle.	8.6
H
Half and flutter pedalPedalling	Partial damper lift for thinner blur; quick shallow changes for clean fast textures.	6.9
Half cadenceCadences and phrase	A phrase that ends on V: a comma or a question.	1.8
Half steps and whole stepsNotation and pitch	The two basic distances of the keyboard: neighbouring keys (half step) and one key skipped (whole step).	F.8
Hand independenceTechnique concepts	Different rhythms, touches and dynamics in each hand.	2.8
Hands separately firstPractice craft and performance	Learn each hand alone, then combine slowly.	F.9
The harmonic minorScales, keys and modes	Natural minor with a raised 7th, giving a leading note and a major dominant; it leaves an augmented second.	2.2
Harmonic rhythmChords and harmony	How often the chord changes: once a bar, twice near a cadence, or slower.	2.5
Harmonic signaturesForm and analysis	A recurring bass motion, chord or delay that gives a work its voice.	C.5
Harmonising a melodyKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Choosing I, IV and V from the strong-beat notes, then a plan of harmonic rhythm and accompaniment.	2.5
Hearing cadencesEar and aural concepts	Recognising authentic, half, plagal and deceptive endings by ear.	1.8
Hearing chord qualityEar and aural concepts	Telling major, minor, diminished and seventh chords apart by ear.	2.1
Hearing intervalsEar and aural concepts	Recognising 2nds to octaves by sound and by song associations.	3.3
Hearing pulse and subdivisionEar and aural concepts	Keeping a pulse while the rhythm above it changes.	3.2
HemiolaRhythm and meter	Two bars of 3/4 regrouped as three groups of two beats, often before a cadence.	6.6
Historical keyboard instrumentsStyle periods and performance practice	Harpsichord, clavichord, organ and fortepiano and what each does to touch and sustain.	5.7
Historical ornament tablesOrnaments	Signs mean different things in different composers and sources; read the table for that repertoire.	9.3
Historical pedal indicationsPedalling	Original long pedal markings sound different on a modern grand; separate the text from the adaptation.	L.2
Historical performanceStyle periods and performance practice	Choosing tempo, articulation, ornament and pedal from sources and instruments, then testing on your piano.	D.4
Hypermeter and phrase rhythmRhythm and meter	Bars group into larger units (4-bar, 8-bar) with their own strong and weak bars.	8.8
I
I IV I V7 I at the keyboardKeyboard harmony and figured bass	The five-chord cadence with close position and one shared note at each change.	2.5
I V7 I at the keyboardKeyboard harmony and figured bass	The smallest-movement left-hand pattern: C-E-G, B-F-G, C-E-G.	1.10
The ii-V-I progressionJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	The basic jazz cadence: minor seventh, dominant seventh, major seventh around the circle of fifths.	7.6
ii6 and six-four cadencesKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Richer cadence patterns in every key: ii6 for IV, and the six-four before V.	5.8
Imitation and canonCounterpoint and texture	One voice repeats another's idea after a short delay; a canon repeats it strictly.	3.9
Impressionist techniquesStyle periods and performance practice	Colour harmony, planing, pedal points and non-functional scales.	9.6
ImprovisingJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Making phrases up in a key over a pulse: short ideas, space, repetition, then variation.	3.9
Independent voicesCounterpoint and texture	A voice is a continuing line, not a hand; follow one through its rests and ties.	F.8
Interleaved practicePractice craft and performance	Rotate between passages instead of repeating one many times.	2.10
Interval inversionIntervals	Turning an interval upside down swaps 3rds and 6ths, 2nds and 7ths, 4ths and 5ths.	5.4
Interval qualityIntervals	Major, minor, perfect, augmented and diminished: size measured against the major scale of the lower note.	3.3
Interval sizeIntervals	Count letter names inclusively: a 2nd, 3rd, 5th, octave; harmonic when together, melodic when in turn.	1.4
Inversions of V7Chords and harmony	V6/5, V4/3 and V4/2 put the third, fifth or seventh in the bass, each with a stepwise path to the tonic.	4.3
Invertible counterpointCounterpoint and texture	Lines that still work when their registers are exchanged; at the octave, thirds become sixths.	10.3
Irregular and additive metersRhythm and meter	5/8, 7/8 and 5/4 are counted as groups of two and three (2+3, 2+2+3).	6.7
K
Key signaturesScales, keys and modes	Sharps or flats at the start of a staff replace repeating accidentals for the whole piece.	1.5
The keyboard mapNotation and pitch	The black-key groups of two and three locate every white key; C sits just left of the pair.	F.1
L
Landmark readingNotation and pitch	Read from a few known anchor notes by counting steps, not by naming every line and space.	F.4
Large forms and cyclesForm and analysis	Longer works relate returns, keys and climaxes across many minutes.	D.2
Lead-sheet compingKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Block chords, then broken patterns, then shell voicings under a melody.	3.10
Ledger linesNotation and pitch	Short extra lines extend the staff; middle C is the first ledger line shared by both staves.	F.1
Legato pedallingPedalling	Change the pedal just after the new chord sounds so harmonies join without blur.	2.6
Legato, staccato and slursExpression, dynamics and articulation	Connected, detached and grouped notes: how touch shapes the gaps between notes.	F.7
Long-range linesForm and analysis	A slower line that connects important notes across several bars; an introduction to Schenkerian thinking.	D.1
M
The major scaleScales, keys and modes	Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half: two matching tetrachords joined by a whole step.	1.3
Making a form mapForm and analysis	Mark sections, key areas, cadences and returns using evidence from the score.	L.3
Melodic contourMelody and motive	The shape of a line: its peak, its direction and its landing.	F.5
The melodic minorScales, keys and modes	Raised 6th and 7th rising, natural minor falling, smoothing the augmented second.	3.5
Memorising from structurePractice craft and performance	Combine structure, sound and visual memory; start from any section.	5.10
Mental practicePractice craft and performance	Learning a piece away from the keyboard by reading the score and hearing it inwardly; it adds to practice at the piano.	4.5
Minor blues, 8-bar and 16-bar formsJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Variants of the blues plan with their own chord orders.	7.6
Minuet and trioForm and analysis	A dance in 3/4 in binary form paired with a contrasting trio, then back to the minuet.	2.10
Modal jazzJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Improvising over one mode for many bars, such as a Dorian vamp.	9.1
Mode mixtureChords and harmony	Borrowing chords from the parallel key, such as iv or flat VI in a major key.	8.5
The modesScales, keys and modes	Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian: scales on the white keys from each degree.	6.4
Modulating progressions at the keyboardKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Playing and improvising progressions that move to a closely related key.	9.5
ModulationChords and harmony	Establishing a new home key, usually through a pivot chord and confirmed by a cadence.	7.1
The mordentOrnaments	A single quick alternation with a neighbour note; the sign means opposite things in Baroque and modern usage.	4.1
MotiveMelody and motive	A short recurring idea of a few notes; recognising it halves the learning.	1.9
Motivic developmentMelody and motive	Augmentation, diminution, inversion and fragmentation of a motive.	10.7
N
The natural minor scaleScales, keys and modes	The minor scale with no raised notes, identical to the Aeolian mode.	2.2
The Neapolitan sixthChords and harmony	A major chord on the lowered second degree, usually in first inversion, preparing the dominant.	D.2
Ninths, elevenths and thirteenthsChords and harmony	Further thirds stacked above a seventh chord, usually with some notes omitted.	9.1
Non-chord tonesChords and harmony	Passing notes, neighbours, suspensions, appoggiaturas and anticipations that decorate the harmony.	6.3
Note valuesRhythm and meter	Whole, half, quarter notes and so on, measured in beats and halved at each step.	F.2
O
The octatonic scaleScales, keys and modes	Alternating whole and half steps, eight notes per octave, tied to diminished seventh chords.	10.2
Octave names and registersNotation and pitch	Middle C is C4; labels such as C2 or C5 name a pitch in a specific octave.	F.4
Octaves and stretchesTechnique concepts	Reach, play, release; roll or share wide chords if the hand is small.	2.3
Open-score and SATB reading at the keyboardKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Playing from separate staves for each voice.	7.8
Order of sharps and flatsScales, keys and modes	Sharps are added F C G D A E B, flats in reverse; rules name the major key from the last one.	3.5
P
Pain and when to stopTechnique concepts	Pain is a signal to stop and rest, not a hurdle; come back slower and lighter, and see a professional if it persists.	6.3
Parallel keysScales, keys and modes	Major and minor on the same tonic; turning to the parallel key darkens or brightens the colour.	5.1
PartimentoKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Improvising from a bass line using stock patterns and schemas.	8.4
Passing, pedal and arpeggio six-foursChords and harmony	Second-inversion chords with other functions than the cadential one.	8.3
Pedal markingsPedalling	Ped. and star signs, or a line under the bass staff; one harmony per pedal.	2.6
Pedal pointsChords and harmony	A held or repeated note, usually in the bass, under harmony that changes and clashes with it.	6.10
Pedalling Romantic harmonyPedalling	Pedal as part of the sound, changed with each harmony and cleared for passing notes.	4.6
Pentatonic scalesScales, keys and modes	Five-note scales with no half steps, such as C D E G A, common in folk and blues melody.	6.5
Perfect and imperfect authentic cadencesCadences and phrase	A perfect authentic cadence is root-position V to I with the tonic on top; weaker versions are imperfect.	5.3
Performance and recoveryPractice craft and performance	One take, no stopping; recover from slips and plan restart landmarks.	F.2
Performance notesInterpretation and programming	A record of edition, source choices and style decisions, revised after each performance.	C.10
Period: antecedent and consequentCadences and phrase	Two phrases as question and answer, the first on a half cadence, the second on an authentic one.	4.4
The phraseCadences and phrase	A musical sentence of about two or four bars that grows toward an arrival and relaxes.	F.6
Phrygian half cadence and Picardy thirdCadences and phrase	iv6 to V in minor, and a major final chord in a minor piece.	7.4
Plagal cadenceCadences and phrase	IV to I, the Amen cadence.	2.6
PlaningChords and harmony	Moving a chord shape in parallel, exactly or within a scale.	9.6
Playing under pressurePractice craft and performance	Preparing for the nerves of performance by playing through without stopping, to a listener, at a tempo you can hold.	8.9
Playing with othersPractice craft and performance	Keep the shared pulse, count rests, listen to the other part, rejoin after a slip.	F.2
Playing without tensionTechnique concepts	Release extra pressure, breathe, stop at pain.	F.4
PolyrhythmRhythm and meter	Two rhythmic layers that do not share subdivisions, such as three against four.	6.6
PolytonalityChords and harmony	Layers that suggest different keys at once.	10.2
Posture and set-upTechnique concepts	Bench height, distance, arm level, wrists and feet.	F.1
Primary chords I, IV and VChords and harmony	The chords on the 1st, 4th and 5th degrees contain every note of the scale and harmonise most simple tunes.	2.5
Programme notesInterpretation and programming	A short, accurate note giving a listener a reason to listen closely.	D.12
Pulse and beatRhythm and meter	A steady underlying pulse against which note lengths are measured; counting aloud keeps it.	F.2
Q
Quartal voicings and upper-structure triadsJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Fourth-stack voicings for modal jazz and triads over a shell for altered dominants.	10.9
Quartal, cluster and polychord harmonyChords and harmony	Chords built from fourths, from adjacent seconds, or from two chords layered.	8.10
Question and answer phrasesMelody and motive	A phrase that ends open, answered by a phrase that closes; the root of improvising.	3.9
R
RagtimeJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	March-derived strains of 16 bars with a syncopated right hand over a bass-chord left hand.	6.8
Reading by intervalsIntervals	Fluent readers find a landmark note, then read the distances between notes as shapes.	1.4
Reading other scoresNotation and pitch	Open score, short score and orchestral reductions: following several staves and relating them to the piano.	7.8
Recital architectureInterpretation and programming	Order, contrast, silence and recovery across a whole programme.	L.6
Recording and listening backPractice craft and performance	Recording a run and listening afterwards shows what playing hides: uneven rhythm, balance, and the shape of the whole.	6.7
Recovering from a slipPractice craft and performance	A wrong note matters less than stopping: keep the pulse, rejoin at the next strong beat, and practise the rejoin.	F.2
ReductionForm and analysis	Stripping a passage to its structural voices to hear what carries the line.	8.8
Relative major and minorScales, keys and modes	Two keys with one key signature; the minor tonic is the sixth degree of the major.	2.2
Repeat signs and navigationNotation and pitch	Repeat bars, first and second endings, D.C., D.S., coda and fine: where to go next in the score.	F.6
Resonance and finger legato as separate layersPedalling	Finger connection and pedal resonance are managed independently.	D.3
Rest and breaksTechnique concepts	Short breaks between spells of playing keep the hands fresh and let learning settle; stop before the playing starts to degrade.	5.8
RestsRhythm and meter	A rest is measured silence, as much a part of the rhythm as a note.	F.3
Rhythmic pedallingPedalling	Pedal timed to the bass note so it rings under chords the hand leaves to play, as in a waltz.	2.6
Rhythmic variantsPractice craft and performance	Practise runs in changed rhythms to even them out.	2.9
Riffs and licksJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Short repeatable figures from the blues and pentatonic scales, transposed to new chords.	6.8
Rock and pop progressionsJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	I-V-vi-IV, I-flat VII-IV and similar loops; power chords and open fifths.
Rolled chordsOrnaments	A wavy line asks for the chord to be spread from the bottom note upward.	4.6
Roman-numeral analysisChords and harmony	Capital numerals for major chords, lower case for minor, with figures for inversions and sevenths.	5.2
Romantic styleStyle periods and performance practice	Singing melody, expanded harmony, pedal and rubato as colour.	7.5
RondoForm and analysis	A refrain that returns between contrasting episodes: ABACA.	4.5
Rootless voicings (Type A and B)Jazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Left-hand voicings without the root, alternating shapes so voices move by step.	9.2
Rounded binary formForm and analysis	Binary form in which the opening music returns at the end of the second half.	5.10
RubatoExpression, dynamics and articulation	Flexible timing directed toward an arrival, over a pulse that stays in the background.	7.5
Rule of the OctaveKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Customary chords for each degree of an ascending or descending bass scale.	7.9
S
Scale and arpeggio mechanicsTechnique concepts	Thumb crossing, hand position shifts and a forward-moving arm.	1.3
Scale-degree namesScales, keys and modes	Tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading note: names that describe each degree's job.	3.10
SentenceCadences and phrase	A theme built as presentation, repetition and continuation to a cadence.	8.4
SequencesMelody and motive	A figure repeated at a different pitch, melodically or with the harmony.	5.7
Seventh chords of every qualityChords and harmony	Major, dominant, minor, half-diminished and fully diminished sevenths and how each is spelled.	6.1
Sforzando, subito and sudden contrastsExpression, dynamics and articulation	Signs for a sudden accent or an abrupt change of level.	3.2
Sharps, flats and naturalsNotation and pitch	Signs that raise, lower or cancel a note by a half step, lasting to the end of the bar.	F.9
Sight-readingPractice craft and performance	Preview key and rhythm, choose a safe tempo and keep going whatever happens.	F.7
Sixteenth notesRhythm and meter	Four to a quarter-note beat, counted 1-e-and-a and practised slowly for evenness.	2.2
Slow practicePractice craft and performance	Practise at a speed where the passage is correct and even; raise it only after a clean run.	F.3
Small hands: spreading and leaving notes outTechnique concepts	Where a chord or stretch is too wide for your hand, roll it or leave a note out; teachers and examiners allow it.	L.7
Sonata formForm and analysis	Exposition, development and recapitulation as a journey between key areas.	7.2
Sonatina formForm and analysis	Sonata form in miniature: two themes, the second moving to the home key on return.	3.8
Source readings and practical adaptationsInterpretation and programming	Keep the textual reading separate from the practical adaptation for your instrument or hand.	L.4
Spaced reviewPractice craft and performance	Return to learned pieces at growing intervals before they fade.	F.10
Species counterpointCounterpoint and texture	Graded exercises adding note against note, two against one and so on.	8.1
Steps and skipsIntervals	Melodies repeat, move by step or skip; reading the shape is faster than naming notes.	F.5
Stride left handJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	A low bass note or octave on one beat, a mid-register chord on the next, with accurate leaps.	8.9
Strong and weak beatsRhythm and meter	Beats carry different weight within the bar, which shapes how a phrase is played.	F.3
Style periodsStyle periods and performance practice	Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th century in outline, with their keyboard music.	4.8
SuspensionsChords and harmony	A note held over a chord change becomes dissonant, then resolves down by step: prepare, suspend, resolve.	6.3
Swing feelJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Eighth notes played long-short, close to triplet timing, lighter at fast tempi.	6.8
SyncopationRhythm and meter	An accent or a held note placed off the beat, against a pulse that keeps going.	3.2
T
Technical exercises and HanonPractice craft and performance	Mechanical patterns have limited, optional value; keep music in the centre.	2.3
Tempo changesTempo and character	Ritardando, accelerando, a tempo, rallentando: how and when speed changes.	2.7
Tempo termsTempo and character	Largo to Presto and their modifiers; a metronome mark makes them precise.	1.1
Ternary formForm and analysis	ABA: statement, contrast and a return, exact or varied.	3.7
Texture typesCounterpoint and texture	Monophony, homophony, melody with accompaniment and polyphony: the vocabulary for how parts combine.	2.1
Thematic developmentForm and analysis	Working on fragments of a theme through sequence, fragmentation and harmonic redirection.	L.2
Thematic transformationMelody and motive	The same material returning changed in rhythm, key, register or character.	C.5
Theme and variationsForm and analysis	A tune transformed several times over the same framework.	6.6
Thirds, sixths and double notesTechnique concepts	Two lines inside one hand; practise each line and the fingering that preserves its connection.	6.9
Ties and dotsRhythm and meter	A tie joins same-pitch notes into one longer sound; a dot adds half the note's value.	F.5
Time signatures: simple timeRhythm and meter	The top number counts beats in a bar, the bottom names the note that gets the beat (4/4, 3/4, 2/4).	F.3
Tonal ambiguityChords and harmony	Passages that suggest several centres or avoid a conventional dominant; describe them by evidence.	C.10
Tonality and the tonicScales, keys and modes	One note acts as home; other notes and chords are heard by their pull toward it.	F.10
Tonic and dominantChords and harmony	I is home, V pulls back to it: the two poles of tonal music.	F.10
Tonicisation and local keysChords and harmony	Briefly treating a chord other than the tonic as home; a cadence in the local key, without a full modulation.	7.1
Transposing at the keyboardKeyboard harmony and figured bass	Playing a pattern, tune or progression in another key by interval and function.	1.5
Transposing instrumentsNotation and pitch	A transposing instrument sounds a different pitch from the one written; B flat clarinet sounds a step lower.	7.8
Tremolo and glissandoOrnaments	Rapid repetition of a note or alternation of two, and a slide across the keys.	8.10
Triad inversionsChords and harmony	The same triad with the third or fifth in the bass; slash chords such as C/E name the bass.	2.1
Triad qualitiesChords and harmony	Major, minor, diminished and augmented triads differ in the size of their thirds.	2.1
TriadsChords and harmony	A chord of three notes stacked in thirds: root, third, fifth.	F.10
Triads on every degreeChords and harmony	I ii iii IV V vi vii: major, minor and diminished chords built on each note of the scale, shown by Roman numerals.	5.2
The trillOrnaments	Rapid alternation with the note above; the start note depends on period and context.	4.1
Trio-sonata textureCounterpoint and texture	Two melody parts over a bass, with a chordal instrument realising the figures.	10.3
TripletsRhythm and meter	Three equal notes in the time of two, shown by a small 3.	2.8
The tritoneIntervals	The augmented fourth or diminished fifth, six half steps; the unstable core of the dominant seventh.	3.3
The turnOrnaments	Upper note, main note, lower note, main note around the written note.	4.1
The twelve-bar bluesJazz, blues and rock harmony and improvisation	Three four-bar lines of I, IV and V (usually sevenths) with a turnaround.	4.10
Twelve-tone writing and serialismStyle periods and performance practice	Rows of twelve pitch classes and their transformations.	10.2
Two-part counterpointCounterpoint and texture	Two independent melodies, as in Bach's Two-Part Inventions.	5.6
U
Una corda and sostenuto pedalsPedalling	The left pedal softens and changes colour; the middle pedal holds only the notes down at that moment.	7.5
The upbeat (anacrusis)Rhythm and meter	Notes before the first full bar lead into its first strong beat; the last bar is shortened to match.	1.2
V
Virtuoso figurationTechnique concepts	Dense passagework hiding a melody and bass; find the structural notes first.	C.3
Voice leadingCounterpoint and texture	Connecting chords by moving each voice smoothly; avoiding parallel fifths and octaves.	8.1
Voicing and balanceExpression, dynamics and articulation	Bringing the melody out of the texture, even within one hand.	4.7
W
Warming upTechnique concepts	A few easy minutes before demanding work: loose arms, familiar patterns played slowly and softly, then the hard material.	3.1
The whole-tone scaleScales, keys and modes	Six notes a whole step apart with no clear tonic, associated with Debussy.	6.5

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