Level 14 of 36 · Book II: Hands together
Sight-reading exercises in G major (G position)
The first key signature: G major, with one sharp. Both hands move up to G position, and every F in the music is played as F sharp, even though no sharp is written next to the note.
- Hands together
- G major
- 4/4 time
- = 56 to start
8 different exercises, each 8 bars. Listen first, or play it yourself: the music waits for each note.
What level 14 adds
The right hand plays in G position, thumb on the G above middle C, in halves and quarters, by step and skip. The left hand plays whole and half notes on the chord roots in G position below. The key signature, a sharp on the F line at the start of each staff, applies to every F in every octave.
What to watch for
- F sharp: the key signature is easy to forget a bar later. Any F you see is a black key.
- The new hand position: G position puts your thumb on G, so finger numbers mean different notes than in C.
- F sharp in both clefs: the sharp is written on each staff, and it counts in both hands.
How to practise it
- Before you start, look at the key signature and say “F sharp” to yourself. Find F sharp on the keyboard with both hands.
- Place both hands in G position before the first note.
- If you play F natural, the page marks it: forgetting the key signature is one of the most common slips, and spotting it is how it fades.
Each exercise is new music, written for this level by the same generator the app uses, so you can’t have learned it by ear. Read it once before you play, keep a steady beat, and play on through mistakes. Play it yourself checks your notes from a MIDI keyboard, the mouse or your computer keys, and Print gives you the music alone, to read at the piano.
A new piece every day, at your level
Pianomi is the app these exercises come from. It listens to your MIDI keyboard, grades every note and every beat, and moves you up the 36 levels as your reading improves. It’s free.