piano notes part 1: beginners book

Starting off... WOW there is a lot to cover in the first book. But here is all the important information to start off with. Now just as a reminder- this is just the long boring notes, nothing exciting. Exciting will be later on down the road when I figure out how to make it exciting.

Knowing fingers numbers:
L.H starting with Pinkie
5-4-3-2-1

R.H. starting with thumb
1-2-3-4-5

Understanding the piano keys:
Going down means low sounds
Going up means high sounds

Keys:
Black keys come in groups of 2's and 3's
fingers used:
2 black keys- L.H 3-2 R.H 2-3
3 black keys- L.H 4-3-2 R.H 2-3-4

Understanding the Staves (Staff):
*Double bar- is used at the end of the measure
*Then you have bar lines that creates a measure
*Brace- a vertical, bow-shaped bracket connecting two or more musical staves.
*Double bar with two dots- go back to the beginning and play again
*Time signature- 4 beats 4 measures (4/4), 3 beats 4 measures (3/4) (won't look like that)
*Staff- 4 spaces; 5 lines
*Bass Clef sign- came from the letter f- left hand symbol
*Treble Clef sign- came from the letter g- right hand symbol

Notes:
*quarter note- 1 count
*half note- 2 counts
*half with a dot- 3 counts
*whole note- 4 counts
*note with a dot- staccato- separated or detached- release thee key the instant you play it- dot would be under or over the note

Rest:
*quarter rest- 1 count
*whole rest- hat down- 4 counts
*half rest- hat up- 2 counts

Dynamic signs:
*p- piano- soft
*f- forte- loud
*mf- mezzo forte- moderately loud

Piano positions:
Middle C position
L.H. R.H
F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G
5-4- 3- 2- 1-2- 3-4-5 (finger numbers)

C position
L.H R.H.
C-D-E-F-G C-D-E-F-G

G position
L.H. R.H.
G-A-B-C-D G-A-B-C-D

Legato- smoothly connected- to play legato correctly, one finger must come up just as another one goes down, like end of a seesaw.

Slur- play a legato- slur often divide the music into phase

Phase- is a musical thought or sentences

Intervals- 2nd, 3rds, etc- distance from one note to another are measured in intervals

Tied notes- when notes on the same line or space are joined by a curved line- the key is held down for the combined values of both notes

Sharp sign- Appears before a note, it applies to that note for the rest of the measure- before a note means play the next key to the right whether black or white

B flat sign- before a note means play the next key to the left, whether black or white- appears before a note it applies to that note for the rest of the measure.

New dynamic signs:
Crescendo- gradually louder (<) Diminuendo- gradually softer (>)