"home position"

[renfroejames]

Hi,

I am new to piano and trying to find my way around things. I am having trouble finding a "home position" for my hands - specifically my fingers. My level one books mention - C position, F position, G position, and so on. All of those positions order me to keep my thumb on the C, F, or G and then have my other four fingers sit on the keys one after the other so that all my fingers are on specific keys.

I am finding it easier though to have my fingers generally spread over all of those keys within the position without actually having them on the specific keys like the books tell me to do.

What should I do?

Thanks

[retrouvailles]

Wouldn't this topic work better in Student's Corner?

[renfroejames]

I did post there. I can't seem to get a response.

thanks

[slow_concert_pianist]

Hi,

I am new to piano and trying to find my way around things. I am having trouble finding a "home position" for my hands - specifically my fingers. My level one books mention - C position, F position, G position, and so on. All of those positions order me to keep my thumb on the C, F, or G and then have my other four fingers sit on the keys one after the other so that all my fingers are on specific keys.

I am finding it easier though to have my fingers generally spread over all of those keys within the position without actually having them on the specific keys like the books tell me to do.

What should I do?

Thanks

As you have no finger strength you organise your approach to music as conceived “positions”. The art of performance is ensuring ample finger dexterity so you do not need positions per se, with the exception of varied ‘standardised’ approaches to different scales and arpeggios defined by their keys for ease of performance. As we are naturally “habit forming” fine guidance will ensure you adopt good habits. The best person to give you advice and coaching is a professional teacher. You will need that interaction.

[renfroejames]

thank you.

[indianajo]

If you make sure your belly button is in front of middle C, your body will eventually learn the position of every key on the piano without reference to any particular part of the hand being where.  Once you learn your way around the middle, you will start jumping around.  While arpeggios are a traditional boring way to learn the rest of the piano, I found the music of Scott Joplin to be much more useful.  His stuff uses all of 5 octaves regularly,organized by chord structure which helps in other songs.  Each key signature and set of chords has its own feel.

[renfroejames]

Thank you so much!

That was sort of what I was thinking. I seem to rely on "hand position" so I can know where the keys are....but my goal should be to know where they are by feel.

You mentioned Scott Joplin...do you have a particular music book in mind? I am really trying to find music that will help me "feel" my way around the keys.  Do you have any other suggestions?

Also, I am also looking for music that will help me feel my way through chords. I am trying to create chord exercises on my own, but I would love to find exercises or good music that are better thought out.

[mrba1979]

If you make sure your belly button is in front of middle C, your body will eventually learn the position of every key on the piano without reference to any particular part of the hand being where.  Once you learn your way around the middle, you will start jumping around.  While arpeggios are a traditional boring way to learn the rest of the piano, I found the music of Scott Joplin to be much more useful.  His stuff uses all of 5 octaves regularly,organized by chord structure which helps in other songs.  Each key signature and set of chords has its own feel.

Though Scott Joplin is a good suggestion renfroejames does not seem to be at the level for his works.  When I was in lessons my teacher often used the Alfread series.  They were good guides for me when I first started, well, and plus having a good instructor.

[kitty on the keys]

Get a very good teacher. Take private or group lessons. Learn the basics!!

Kitty on the Keys

[indianajo]

While teachers are useful, they are expensive.  There is no reason to make learning as boring as possible.  It is true you need to do a lot of fingering exercises, but having a goal gives you a lot more motivation.  Owning a book you can't play gives you something you look forward to, even though it may be years before you can properly use it.  My mother owned an original two piano version of "Rhapsody in Blue" by Gershwin;  she never made it but she had a dream.   The entire Scott Joplin body of work can be bought in one volume published by New York Public Library, I paid $9.95 for my copy.  The two Scott Joplin pieces I started on came in a Belwin introductory ragtime book, they were "Paragon Rag" and "Magnetic Rag". I bought these after a 15 year lay off caused by not having a piano after leaving my parents.  Electric pianos were not an inexpensive option in 1968. Personally I've been working on the 3rd movement of the Moonlight Sonata for 30 years, mostly off, but now that I'm retired, more seriously.  I'm up to 1/3 the speed for R. Serkin mistake free, and 1/2 speed sloppily when I am acting out on Friday night.    My piano teacher never challenged me with this piece, although I did the first movement of course at about age 11.  She did have me work on Beethoven's Pathetique sonata for a couple of weeks, but I don't think at age 14 I had enough emotion to get any feel out of Beethoven.  I'm much more frustrated now, Beethoven suits my mood.