Piano Q & A

How do you play a glissando on the piano? It depends on who you ask. A pianist playing classical music will probably play a glissando differently than a pianist playing boogie woogie.

When I was little, learning classical music, this is what my teacher told me:
To do an upward glissando, make a loose fist with your left hand and extend your thumb with the nail down so that it faces the keys. Then slide your thumb through the keys to make the glissando.

Does that sound like it hurts? It hurt my thumb like crazy. So much that I didn't play glissandos for years.

Nowadays, I make a glissando by either sliding the fleshy part of my thumb along the top of the keys, or by using the fleshy part of all four of my fingers at once.

Although it never worked for me, the thumb method, I believe, is the official method.

How can I remember the minor key signatures? Each minor key has a relative major. The minor key signature is identical to that of its relative major. The relative major is a minor third (three half steps) above the minor. For example, C minor's relative major is Eb, whose key signature is Bb, Eb, Ab.

What does 'sempre con ped' mean? "always with pedal"

Could you tell me how to modulate from one key to another? In 50 words or less: Find a chord that is common to both keys. Start on the tonic chord in the first key and write a progression to the common chord. Then write a progression from the common chord to the destination key. Example:

Modulate from C major to F major. The common chord is D minor.
The progression from the tonic to the common chord (C major to D minor) is: C major, G major, A minor, D minor
The progression from the common chord to the destination key (D minor to F major) is: D minor, Bb major, C major, F major
Put it all together:
C major, G major, A minor, D minor, Bb major, C major, F major.

Why do some notes sound seem to clash when played together, say c and d, and others sound good together, say c and e? To a certain extent, this is due to what you're used to hearing. However, most people with agree that certain intervals, or spacings between notes, sound harmonious, and others sound dissonant. It seems to be a law of nature. This question has been debated for centuries.

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