Question: In bars 5–7 of the Capriccio in D minor by Brahms, the right hand is supposed to play legato octaves (the melody) while holding down a middle voice as well. How can you create this smooth legato effect at a presto energico tempo without the use of the pedal? Thanks for your...
Question: Hello Albert,
Thank you for your reply mail regarding “the fingering” for playing descending chromatic minor 6ths. It is most helpful and is going to take me some time to practice these few octaves correctly, especially playing this section with both hands with the 2 thumbs...
Question: Hi Albert,
I am a retired female who has returned to the piano about three months ago. Haven’t found a teacher yet so don’t have access to answers to some of my difficulties so far. One of my chief concerns has to do with the smallness of my hands (I’m...
Question: Hello Albert,
Since I started playing the piano, I’ve mostly played Romantic-era music, where the left hand is just accompanying. In January I started with playing scales, 20 minutes every morning. And I realised that my left hand feels kind of uncomfortable. I’ve got a...
Question: Hello Albert, Thank you so much for the lessons.
I am practising the scales as you suggested, e.g., started with B major and want to ask you for a tip as the thumb will ‘look’ for the note it is supposed to play next and it invariably plays the wrong one. It swings too far...
Question: I am learning the Schubert Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3. Everything was going great until page 5. That’s when the double flats came into play. I need help on identifying those double flats… I seem to have gone brain-dead.
– Kat (Huntsville, Alabama, USA)
Albert’s...
Question: How does one really remember to look at the key note on paper and find where it is on the piano? I want to be able to see the note and play it on the keyboard. It takes me forever to figure out where the key is. I had this problem when I was in high school, so it is not an age-related...
The grand staff (also called “great stave” in British English) is a pair of clefs connected by a brace and used in particular for keyboard music:
Most often, the upper staff has a treble clef, while the lower staff has a bass clef.
A common misconception is that the treble clef...
A half note (also called a minim in British English) is a note in traditional Western music notation that is notated with an open note head and a stem.
Here is a half note on a five-line staff:
When writing a half note (or any note with a stem), if it is below the middle line, the stem points...
Question: I was wondering if there is a trick to figuring out the melody line on a score. Is it always the top notes? What happens when it goes to the left hand? Is there something you are looking for that tells you, or do you have to listen for it? Thanks for your help.
– Barb (Peoria,...
Learning to read piano notes need not be drudgery! This article will introduce you to the basics of piano music notation.
The first thing you’ll notice when you open up any piano music is almost certainly the grand staff:
The grand staff is composed of two staves, each of them a standard...
Piano tablature notation is designed for simple music, and it’s easy to learn.
Piano tabs are written primarily using letters and numbers. Letters designate the keys to play (as opposed to the actual notes), while the numbers indicate beats as well as the octave.
Middle C is in the fourth...
