Theory of Music

Ways to Count When Learning a New Piano Piece

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There are some people who can sit down at a piano and just play stuff with seemingly no effort at all. They seem to get the notes and the timing (or rhythm) without even really thinking. This is the perception but it is not actually a reality. I would be one of those people who … Read more

How is Crescendo and Diminuendo Different From Playing Forte and Piano?

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You might be familiar with the expression terms of crescendo, diminuendo, forte and piano, as well as mezzo forte, mezzo piano, fortissimo and pianissimo, if not then here is their definitions: Crescendo – gradually becoming louder Diminuendo – gradually becoming softer Forte – loud Piano – soft Mezzo Forte – moderately loud Mezzo Piano – … Read more

Tenuto Marks and Ledger Lines – What is the Difference?

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Across piano music, there are frequently little lines scattered throughout written music notation and if they both were taken out of context, it would be impossible to tell the difference between the two. Fortunately the context of either one makes it really clear as to what they mean and how they impact the music. The … Read more

When Learning Piano Chords, Which Should Be Learned First

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While I have definite opinions on this subject, I fully acknowledge that there could be other writers that completely disagree with what I say. Because I know that this particular subject has no particular consensus, I will endeavour to explain why I have the opinions I do. When learning about chords and how they are … Read more

What Do the Dots Near Written Notes Mean?

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If you look carefully enough at printed music, you will often see dots all over the place. While those dots do look random, they are most certainly not. Every dot on every piece of music has meaning. The dots that are situated near a note can be confusing to some learning to read music. If … Read more

What is the Difference Between a Tie, a Slur and a Phrase?

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A tie, a slur and a phrase all look quite similar and sometimes they can get confused with each other since they look like this: This symbol is typically used above the stave (staff) or inverted and used underneath the stave (staff), depending on which direction the stems of the notes are going. This applies … Read more

Is Tonebass Piano Worth Your Time and Money ?

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I first came across Tonebass Piano on Facebook. I was not looking for anything in particular, it just showed up as short videos that I might want to watch – you know how Facebook works, it puts articles and videos on your feed, that its algorithms think you might like. It was a video about … Read more