Level 28 of 36 · Book IV: Moving around
Sight-reading exercises: changing hand positions
Book four begins by leaving the five-finger position: the right hand shifts to a new position between phrases, so the melody covers a wider range than five notes.
- Hands together
- G, F or C major
- 4/4 time
- = 54 to start
8 different exercises, each 8 bars. Listen first, or play it yourself: the music waits for each note.
What level 28 adds
Within each phrase the melody stays inside five notes, with steps, skips and jumps up to a fifth. Between phrases that window moves up or down. Exercises are in C, G or F major, with the left hand in whole and half notes.
What to watch for
- Where the hand goes: at a phrase start, check the range of the next few notes and put the hand where they fit.
- Notes off the edge of the old position: a note your hand can’t reach means it is time to move.
- The key signature: exercises can be in C, G or F.
How to practise it
- Use rests and long notes at phrase ends to move the hand.
- Look at the highest and lowest note of the next phrase, not just its first note.
- Don’t worry about the “right” fingering: any finger that keeps you playing in time is fine for now.
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.