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Test Your Music-Reading Skills

Musical tests and quizzes.

When it comes to reading piano music, there's a lot to memorize. Test how well you're doing with the essential components of sight-reading and music comprehension, including key signatures, notes, and rhythm. Image © Brandy Kraemer

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Piano Spotlight10

C4 is "Middle C" ... But What Are the Other C's Called?

Thursday April 28, 2011

Middle C on the bass and treble staves.Ahh, middle C. Its location is one of the first things a pianist learns ... often on the first day of lessons. It acts as a visual divider between the staves, a starting point for many songs, and a guide for finding other notes (if you've ever said something like, "play two A's above middle C," you know what I'm talking about).

But those relative descriptions can be ambiguous, and who really wants to sit there and count octaves? Thankfully, each C -- not just "middle C" -- has a few names of its own you can use to pinpoint it:

Image © Brandy Kraemer

Piano Term of the Week: Agitato

Tuesday April 26, 2011

The Italian musical term agitato is often paired with another musical command to modify or enhance its effect:

The Best Way to Polish Your Piano

Thursday April 21, 2011

Polished piano.Different types of piano finishes require different cleaning methods (and also come with their own unique annoyances). Cleaning your piano with the same products you use on wood furniture can exacerbate these problems, and even cause internal piano damage. Learn how to identify your piano's finish, polish it properly, and avoid common problems:

Image © Peter Dazeley/Getty

Piano Term of the Week: Come Prima

Tuesday April 19, 2011

The Italian musical phrase come prima has a couple more frequently-used synonyms, but you'll still want to understand this command:

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