Fingertips Glossary

Altered
A chord that has one or more notes changed to increase tension or colour, often used to add drama before resolution.

Arpeggio
A chord played one note at a time instead of all at once, creating a flowing or broken-chord sound.

Articulation
The way notes are played or shaped, such as smoothly, sharply, or separated, affecting the character of the music.

Chromatic
Movement by semitones using neighbouring black and white keys, often adding colour, tension, or smooth transitions.

Chord
Two or more notes played together to create harmony.

Colour (harmony)
Extra notes added to a chord that enrich its sound without changing its basic identity.

Dominant
A chord or function that creates tension and naturally wants to resolve, most commonly built on the fifth note of a key.

Dynamics
The level of loudness or softness in music, and how it changes to create contrast and emotion.

Expression
The musical feeling created through touch, dynamics, timing, and articulation rather than notes alone.

Fingering
The choice of which fingers to use when playing notes or chords, affecting comfort, accuracy, and flow.

Function (harmonic function)
The role a chord plays within a progression, such as creating tension, release, or stability.

Grace note
A quick decorative note played just before a main note, adding emphasis or character.

Harmony
The sound created when notes are combined, forming chords and progressions beneath a melody.

Interval
The distance between two notes, measured by how many steps apart they are.

Inversion
A chord played with a note other than the root in the bass, often used to create smoother movement between chords.

Key (musical key)
The tonal centre of a piece of music, such as C major or A minor, which determines the main set of notes used.

Keyboard keys
The physical black and white keys on a piano or keyboard that are pressed to produce sound.

Major
A chord or scale with a bright, stable sound often associated with clarity or uplift.

Minor
A chord or scale with a darker, more emotional character.

Octave
The distance between two notes of the same name, where the higher note sounds twice as high as the lower one.

Progression
A sequence of chords played in order, forming the harmonic movement of a piece of music.

Pulse
The steady underlying beat that music is felt against.

Resolution
The point where musical tension is released by moving to a more stable or settled chord.

Root note
The main note a chord or scale is built from, giving it its name and tonal centre.

Scale
A set of notes ordered by pitch, forming the basic note pool used to build melodies and chords.

Suspended
A chord where the third is replaced by another note, creating an unresolved sound that wants to move on.

Tension
A feeling of instability or expectation in music that creates movement toward resolution.

Timing
How notes and chords are placed in relation to the beat, affecting feel and groove.

Touch
How the keys are physically pressed, influencing tone, control, and expressiveness.

Transpose
To change a piece of music into a different key while keeping the same chord pattern or shape. For example, playing the same progression higher or lower to suit a singer or instrument.

Turnaround
A short chord sequence, often at the end of a section, that leads the music back to the start or into the next part.

Unresolved
A sound or chord that feels unfinished and creates expectation for what comes next.

Voicing
The arrangement of a chord’s notes across the keyboard, shaping its texture and character.