Beginner Piano

Class 1:

Rules Use Q to type a question Use A to type an answer to a question Only use your handle and never your real name

Vocabulary Staff - a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represents a different musical pitch.

Bar Lines - a vertical line used in a musical score to mark a division between measures.

Time Signature - an indication of rhythm following a clef, generally expressed as a fraction with the denominator defining the beat as a division of a whole note and the numerator giving the number of beats in each measure.

Measure - a measure is the section of a musical staff that comes between two bar lines. Each measure satisfies the specified time signature of the staff. For example, a song written in 4/4 time will hold four quarter note beats per measure.

Treble Clef - a symbol indicating that the second line from the bottom of a staff represents the pitch of G above middle C. The swirl hugs the G line.

The swirl hugs the G line.

Bass Clef - a symbol placed on the fourth line of a staff to indicate that the fourth line of the staff corresponds to the F that is below middle C. The two dots hug the F line.

The two dots hug the F line.

Grand Staff - a treble staff joined to a bass staff by means of a brace.

Music Note - a note is the pitch and duration of a sound, and also its representation in musical notation.

Ledger Line - a short line added for notes above or below the range of a staff.

Rest - a rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a symbol indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol and name corresponds with a particular note value for length, indicating how long the silence should last.

Hands on Activities Learning about the piano alphabet (A-G) The keys on the piano have their own unique alphabet which goes from A to G and starts over at A again. (Owleagle to show some of the keys and name them across two octaves)

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B

Learning to locate Middle C on the piano A standard piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black keys The C is located just to the left of the two black key set in the center area of the keyboard

Learning to read middle C on the grand staff Middle C is easy to find on the grand staff. It’s located on the ledger line that is between the treble and bass clef.

Treble Clef Bar Line

Time Signature Rest Ledger Line

Note

Bass Clef

Measure

Brace which ties together treble and bass clef forming grand staff

Class 2:

Rules Review Use Q to type a question Use A to type an answer to a question Only use your handle and never your real name

Vocabulary Review and complete chart Staff - a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represents a different musical pitch.

Bar Lines - a vertical line used in a musical score to mark a division between measures.

Time Signature - an indication of rhythm following a clef, generally expressed as a fraction with the denominator defining the beat as a division of a whole note and the numerator giving the number of beats in each measure.

Measure - a measure is the section of a musical staff that comes between two bar lines. Each measure satisfies the specified time signature of the staff. For example, a song written in 4/4 time will hold four quarter note beats per measure.

Treble Clef - a symbol indicating that the second line from the bottom of a staff represents the pitch of G above middle C. The swirl hugs the G line.

The swirl hugs the G line.

Bass Clef - a symbol placed on the fourth line of a staff to indicate that the fourth line of the staff corresponds to the F that is below middle C. The two dots hug the F line.

The two dots hug the F line.

Grand Staff - a treble staff joined to a bass staff by means of a brace.

Music Note - a note is the pitch and duration of a sound, and also its representation in musical notation.

Ledger Line - a short line added for notes above or below the range of a staff.

Rest - a rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a symbol indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol and name corresponds with a particular note value for length, indicating how long the silence should last.

New Vocabulary Quarter note - a note having the value of half of a half note or a quarter of a whole note, represented by a solid ring with a stem.

Can you fill in the names?

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Rhythm Exercises Clapping a simple rhythm in 4/4 time with quarter notes (Owleagle to demonstrate and class to try live)

Hands on Activities Learning finger numbering

Playing middle C using quarter notes with the right hand finger 1 and left hand finger 1 (Owleagle to demonstrate and class to try live)

C C C

Class 3:

Rules Review If you’re new here, please look at the archived classes first.

Vocabulary Review Staff - a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represents a different musical pitch.

Bar Lines - a vertical line used in a musical score to mark a division between measures.

Time Signature - an indication of rhythm following a clef, generally expressed as a fraction with the denominator defining the beat as a division of a whole note and the numerator giving the number of beats in each measure.

Measure - a measure is the section of a musical staff that comes between two bar lines. Each measure satisfies the specified time signature of the staff. For example, a song written in 4/4 time will hold four quarter note beats per measure.

Treble Clef - a symbol indicating that the second line from the bottom of a staff represents the pitch of G above middle C. The swirl hugs the G line.

The swirl hugs the G line.

Bass Clef - a symbol placed on the fourth line of a staff to indicate that the fourth line of the staff corresponds to the F that is below middle C. The two dots hug the F line.

The two dots hug the F line.

Grand Staff - a treble staff joined to a bass staff by means of a brace.

Music Note - a note is the pitch and duration of a sound, and also its representation in musical notation.

Ledger Line - a short line added for notes above or below the range of a staff.

Rest - a rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a symbol indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol and name corresponds with a particular note value for length, indicating how long the silence should last.

Quarter note - a note having the value of half of a half note or a quarter of a whole note, represented by a solid ring with a stem.

New Vocabulary Half Note - a note having the time value of two quarter notes or half of a whole note, represented by an empty ring with a stem.

Rhythm Exercises Clapping a simple rhythm in 4/4 time with half notes (Owleagle to demonstrate and students can go live and practice)

Hands on Activities Review finger numbering

Playing middle C with half notes using the right hand finger 1 and left hand finger 1 (Owleagle to demonstrate)

C C C

Class 4: Rules Review If you’re new here, please look at the archived classes first.

Vocabulary Review Staff - a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represents a different musical pitch.

Bar Lines - a vertical line used in a musical score to mark a division between measures.

Time Signature - an indication of rhythm following a clef, generally expressed as a fraction with the denominator defining the beat as a division of a whole note and the numerator giving the number of beats in each measure.

Measure - a measure is the section of a musical staff that comes between two bar lines. Each measure satisfies the specified time signature of the staff. For example, a song written in 4/4 time will hold four quarter note beats per measure.

Treble Clef - a symbol indicating that the second line from the bottom of a staff represents the pitch of G above middle C. The swirl hugs the G line.

The swirl hugs the G line.

Bass Clef - a symbol placed on the fourth line of a staff to indicate that the fourth line of the staff corresponds to the F that is below middle C. The two dots hug the F line.

The two dots hug the F line.

Grand Staff - a treble staff joined to a bass staff by means of a brace.

Music Note - a note is the pitch and duration of a sound, and also its representation in musical notation.

Ledger Line - a short line added for notes above or below the range of a staff.

Rest - a rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a symbol indicating the length of the pause. Each rest symbol and name corresponds with a particular note value for length, indicating how long the silence should last.

Quarter note - a note having the value of half of a half note or a quarter of a whole note, represented by a solid ring with a stem.

New Vocabulary Half Note - a note having the time value of two quarter notes or half of a whole note, represented by an empty ring with a stem.

New Vocabulary Whole Note - a note having the time value of two half notes or four quarter notes. It is represented by a ring with no stem. It is the longest note now in common use.

Rhythm Exercises Clapping a simple rhythm in 4/4 time with whole notes (Owleagle to demonstrate and students can go live and practice)

Review finger numbering

Playing middle C with half notes using the right hand finger 1 and left hand finger 1 (Owleagle to demonstrate)

C C C