Turn/Mordent

[Phil]

Hey all. I'm new here, so you'll have to excuse my ignorance of a lot of musical things.  I've been playing for 6 years, and I'm 14 now.  Lately I've really started getting serious about piano, but I'm posed with a few questions.  What exactly is a turn and/or mordent?  I've heard of them, and seen them on paper, but what do they mean?  Any help would be very appreciated.

Also, if any of you more experienced pianists have any tips for me, I'd also appreciate any advice given.  Thanks.

[Dave_2004_G]

Well it depends, especially if you're playing Bach
Usually it's a turn to the upper not and back (say e-f-e), but often it could be something like d-e-d-c-d, or even more elaborate - in the case of Bach, they can often be even more elaborate, and he usually specifies what he wants

Dave

[sharon_f]

If you are looking at Bach's music specifically there are numerous web sites that explain his notational practices. One that I like is
https://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/music/bachnotation.htm.

[Phil]

Ok, thanks for the help.  I'll check out that webpage for future reference.