To expand your knowledge of notes on the piano, we will explore a few starting from the middle C. You will learn how to use them to play melodies. If you’ve read the previous blog posts, you would be familiar with locating the middle C and playing it using either hand, with 4 beats.

Now begin navigating using the right hand and learning the key letters. Starting from the middle C (played using your thumb) in ascending order, proceed to the D (index finger), E (middle finger), F (ring finger), and G (little finger). Try this backwards as well, from G to C.

Now try the same exercise using your left hand, and starting from the middle C (left thumb). Next is B (index finger), A (middle finger), G (ring finger), and F (little finger). For practice, keep one hand on your lap, and using the other hand, play in ascending/descending order – C to G, back to C, and repeat for the right hand; C to F, back to C, and repeat for the left hand.

A word of caution here with regards to a common mistake made by beginners – never hit the same key twice, while moving in the ascending/descending order. Keep playing consecutive keys (in order). Once you get comfortable with the exercise (using one hand at a time), try playing the 15 notes using both hands together. Synchronise your play so the same finger on each hand is hitting the note simultaneously. Go with a slow tempo, focusing more on accuracy of play.

There’s a good chance your fingers would fly off the keys when you’re doing this two-hand exercise. The important lesson here is to be patient, go slow and be gentle in striking the keys. Breathe, check your posture and ensure you’re using the tip of your finger to play the notes.

While doing this two-hand exercise, if you face any difficulty in playing the starting key – the middle C – using both thumbs at once, feel free to leave one thumb hanging and use only the other one to play the middle C. Now let’s explore a few more keys, beyond the ones you have learnt and practised. In the previous position, your right-hand pinkie would be on the G note, and your left-hand pinkie on the F.

Try out three keys to the right and left of these positions. On the right hand, after G you have A, B, C. Going backwards from the pinkie on the left hand, you get E, D, C. Place your pinkie fingers on these Cs and arrange your remaining fingers accordingly – right-hand thumb on F and left-hand thumb on G.

Now repeat the same exercise – using the five fingers of each hand to go in ascending/descending order – but from this new position. Similar to before, try each hand in isolation first and then combine both to play simultaneously.

Finally, there’s a fun melody you can play with what you’ve learnt. Use the right hand to play the middle C (position 1) and the rest of the notes in this pattern: 1-3-5-3-1 or C-E-G-E-C. You can play this with a beat of one instead of four. Mirror this on the left hand: 5-3-1-3-5. Till now we’ve only focused on the white keys on your keyboard. Keep reading to explore the black keys in upcoming posts.