How to remember those notes!

[peterb20]

I am a complete beginner - like literally this week! Ive been working through a workbook just to grasp the basics, and have a question on how pianists (novice and/or advanced) remember the notes. Let me explain!:

In most beginner books ive seen, each finger is allocated a number, and they are laid on the keys. Each finger plays a single note. Im sure this isnt how more advanced pianists play, as they move up and down the keyboard... When I see a middle C note on the stave, Im starting to say in my head "right, thats finger 1 on the right hand" and consciously depress that finger. Should I instead be seeing that note and visualising where it is on the keyboard, regardless of which finger is currently over it? Or do advanced pianists actually only move their hands up in blocks so the thumb only ever plays C notes? I know this isnt a problem untill way in the future but I dont want to drill myself down to the thinking "C is always this finger", without actually looking down and remembering which note im actually playing!

[iansinclair]

Not a bad place to begin, Peter, but more advanced pianists very very quickly learn to visualise the keyboard, and if they want a C, for instance, they will use whatever finger is handy!

To my mind a very important thing to learn very early, though -- and now is none too soon -- is to also get a feel for intervals.  That is, suppose you see a C and a G (1 and 5 in your numbering, perhaps): you should start as soon as you can to get a feel for just how far your fingers need to spread to play that interval -- and not only with 1 and 5, for instance, but any other combination of fingers that you can reach it with.  Do this for all the intervals, all the way out to an octave.

[nystul]

Thumb equals middle C is only a temporary association, when your hand happens to be positioned with the thumb there.  Say you play a piece with a simple up and down run in the right hand, but this time it starts on A:  ABCDE, EDCBA.  The most logical fingering (to easily, musically play the phrase) would be 12345, 54321.  So now the thumb is playing A because that happens to be what fits the musical phrase. 

In absolute beginner music, middle C is often the lowest right hand note for multiple reasons, and the pieces don't require multiple hand positions for simplicity.  So you may have several pieces where the thumb is always on middle C.  But in general, you will have to position your hand where it needs to be to fit the particular passage, and then play with the appropriate fingering to fit the music.  The fingering patterns that you might learn in a beginner piece could work in the same way with your hand positioned over different notes.  It's kind of this basic hand shape with the fingers over 5 consecutive white keys.  And then you will have to get a feel for other basic hand shapes, incorporating the black keys or stretching for wider intervals.

[dcstudio]

it's a visualization of the keyboard, yes... but we also develop an ability to know where C -- or any other key is -- without having to look at the keyboard.   It is more of an audible pitch being associated with a location on the piano and secondarily,  a place on the staff...at least for me. 

I started at 4 though and I am 51.   After 47 years... you know where stuff is  

keep at it...