Piano Pop Quiz

Answer: 88

The piano has 32 black keys and 56 white keys.

Answer: A

The lowest note on the piano is A, which is the farthest key to your left. A is a white key. On some rare pianos there several additional bass keys ending with a C that is subsonic.

Answer: C

C is the highest note, and is a white key. It is the farthest key to your right.

Answer: Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a famous composer born in Bonn. Beethoven later moved to Vienna, where he died. He was deaf, and had a terrible temper. The piece "Fur Elise" is also known as "Bagatelle in A Minor". "Moonlight Sonata" is more formally called "Sonata Op.27 No.2". Beethoven's piano music consists of 32 sonatas, along with many other small pieces, and is commonly found in classical music books.

Answer: Tremolo

In a tremolo you usually play an octave with each hand. They are written above the notes as a 'Z' looking figure, but with more lines. Tremoli are usually played at the end of a song. The definition for the word is "a tremulous effect produced by rapid repetition of a single tone or rapid alternation of two tones".(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
The word "tremolo" is Italian, coming from the Latin word tremulus.

Answer: Metronome

Metronomes can come in many forms. Some have a swinging pendulum
and others just produce sound through a speaker. You set the metronome to the time indicated at the top of the music page, and it will click once for every beat. For example, if you are in 4/4 time, the metronome will click 4 times in every measure.

Answer: Piano or soft

Piano, meaning soft, is the opposite of the symbol 'f'(forte), meaning loud.

Answer: Soft loud

Pianofortes are rarely called by their full name, which is pronounced in Italian. The original name was "gravicembalo col piano e forte" (the "great harpsichord with soft and loud capabilities"). They generally are called "pianos". Some locations in Europe still refer to it as the "pianoforte". Pianoforte indicates the actual instrument, but the terms "piano" and "forte" also can be used to describe the volume at which the notes should be played.

Answer: Percussion

Pianos are considered percussion, because despite the strings inside of them, small internal hammers hitting the strings produce the sound when a key is touched.

Answer: C

Middle C is in the middle of a piano, and usually taught first because of its simple major scale consisting of neither any sharps nor flats.

Answer: Smooth and connected

When playing legato, you will usually also be playing in phrases and/or with the sustain pedal down.

Answer: Sustains

A piano usually has 3 (sometimes only 2) pedals. The one furthest right sustains music, making it connect.

Answer: 4/4

4/4 timing is used commonly in both classical and modern piano music. 4/4 time means a quarter note gets one count and each measure receives 4 counts.

Answer: bar

Bar lines split measures according to the time signature to make music easier to read.

Answer: Staccato

Staccatos are marked by a little dot on the top of the note head. To play staccato, strike the key, then quickly release.

Answer: Dotted half

The dotted half note consists of an unfilled head and a dot to the right of the head.

Answer: Softer

Decrescendo's are marked with the less than sign used in mathematics. They are placed between the treble and bass clef staffs in individual lines.

Answer: 5

There are five lines and four spaces on the music staff.

Answer: F and C

The major scale consisting of two sharps is D, so the piece you are playing would be in the key of D major.

Answer: 8

Any scale, minor or major, will always consist of seven keys, with the first key repeated at the end of the scale. These sets of eight keys are called octaves. Every octave has the keys A-G but not necessarily in that order. Also in an octave, a key's sharp or flat may be played in place of the natural key.

For example, in the G major scale, F sharp is played in place of F. These seven keys were used in Ancient Greek modes, the naming of the colors of the rainbow, and in the organization of the periodic table.