While the terms count and beat may sound a bit similar, they are quite different when it comes to the keyboard. Count is basically the numbers as you count out loud, at whatever speed that may be. Beat on the other hand, is how long you hold down a key for.

Counts and Beats

To get a feel for the concept of beats, we’ll use the ‘A’ key which you learnt in the previous blog post. For a refresher on how to locate the ‘A’ key, identify the three black keys placed adjacent to each other. Go to the middle key, and move one step to the right to the white key next to it.

As a beginner, there are three beats you need to be familiar with – 1, 2, and 4. In terms of counts, this would mean holding down the key for 1 count, 2 counts, and 4 counts respectively before you disengage from the keyboard. Try all three with the ‘A’ key.

Locating the Middle C

To start playing music on the keyboard, you need to be able to quickly locate the middle ‘C’ key, which is basically at the centre of the keyboard. Look for two adjacent black keys at the centre, go to the first black key and proceed one step to your left. That is the middle C on your keyboard or piano.

One other way to find this is by locating the three adjacent black keys on your keyboard. Proceed to the middle one and move one step to the right to arrive at the ‘A’ key. Now when you keep moving two places to the right, you traverse ‘B’ and arrive at the middle C.

How do you place your finger on the middle C? Imagine holding a cricket ball in your right hand, with fingers curved and wrist slightly curved. Place your thumb (tip) on the C, and arrange the remaining fingers gently to the right, one finger on each key.

Repeat the same activity with your left hand. Place the thumb on the middle C, and your remaining fingers in descending order of notes/pitches before it – that is B, A, G, and F. Now how do we place both hands together on the keyboard? Basically, both your thumbs would share the middle C. Place them gently on the key so you don’t end up accidently pressing the key. The remaining fingers of both hands can be arranged on adjacent keys.

Practice Exercises

As a beginner, it’s always a good idea to practise resting your fingers on the keys before you start playing. Pay attention to the spacing between fingers to avoid unnatural gaps, or a flying third finger for that matter. Now remove your fingers from the keys, take your hands down and place your palms on your lap.

You can repeat this exercise a few times just to get comfortable with the resting position of your fingers on the keys. If you end up accidentally pressing keys, do not worry. It’s pretty normal at this beginning stage. Simply remove all fingers from the keyboard, and start once again from the middle C, slowly placing one finger at a time.

Let’s now start playing notes, beginning with the middle C. We’ll play four beats for the C, with the count going -1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-. Practise it with the right thumb first, followed by the left thumb. For practice, it is advisable to train your other fingers as well.

Start with the right hand, second finger, on the D key, and for 4 beats. Repeat with left hand, second finger, on the B key, and for 4 beats. Do this for all the remaining fingers (alternating between both hands) to get a hang of the keyboard and to exercise your finger muscles.

One word of caution here, it is common for beginners to experience what is known as “flying fingers”. Basically, when you’re practising with one particular finger, you don’t pay attention to the placement of the remaining fingers, and they tend to fly off the keyboard. Try to resist this, and be gentle and slow while pushing down a key, so that the other fingers remain stable throughout.

The other common mistake done by beginners is to move the wrist too much and hit the key too hard, breaking away from the curved position of the fingers that was covered earlier. You can also try pressing all fingers on the keys at once. The sound may be a bit jarring, but that’s alright, this is just for practice.

The concept of counts and beats is fundamental to your learning to play music on the keyboard. Locating the middle C should come naturally once you start practising on a regular basis. In the upcoming post, we will cover some more basics – namely counting, finger numbers, and octaves. Keep reading and continue practising.