There’s a fundamental difference between counting and finger numbers that you should be clear on right from the start. When you place your hands on the keys and start playing one after the other, you would count out loud -1-2-3-4- but after 4 you would go back to counting from 1. This is as opposed to finger numbers, where you count 1 to 5, starting from the thumb to the little finger or pinkie.

Your finger numbers are associated with keys, whereas the count is with respect to maintaining the tempo or rhythm for the musical piece you’re playing. Start with a normal count or tempo to improve your accuracy of play.

The other exercise you can do is using finger numbers. Say the finger numbers out loud when you’re pressing the keys. This need not be sequential. For example, you could say the number 2 and press your second (index) finger on the key, followed by maybe 5 and press your fifth (little) finger on the respective key, and so on. A word of caution – never number your keys as that may end up confusing you. You should only number your fingers. There’s only one name for a key, and that is the corresponding musical note or letter.

Another new term for you to get familiar with is the octave, which is basically 8 notes. If you start from the middle C and play the eighth note in order, that would also be a C, but on a different key. The only difference is that the second C is higher in pitch compared to the middle C. Play them one after the other to better appreciate this variation.

The octave can be up/upwards of the middle C, or below/downwards of the middle C. How do you determine how many octaves are there on your keyboard? Find the lowest C – locate the two adjacent black keys towards the left end of your keyboard, move to the first of these two, and go one step to the left.

Count from here onwards in groups of 8 and you’ll usually find 5 octaves on a regular digital keyboard. This holds true for MIDI keyboards as well. In a piano however, you would have a higher number of octaves as there are 88 keys. In the next blog post, we will expand the number of notes you are aware of by exploring 15 notes from the middle C.