Unit B07 – Hand Position and Co-ordination

In Stage B, students:

  • remain in a fixed five finger position
  • play in different positions on the piano (you don’t need to explicitly state that they are in different positions, but this gives students experience of playing notes all across the stave). e.g:
    • G major = G, A, B, C and D
    • D major = D, E, F sharp, G, and A
    • A minor = A, B, C, D, and E
    • sharps flats and naturals are included in Unit B9
  • should get the opportunity to play in a range of pieces so that all notes in Unit B1 are covered
  • should start to play some very basic hands together pieces, e.g:
    • semibreves against crotchets
    • semibreves against minims

Activities

  • Play pieces at different octaves. Use this as an opportunity to explore character or mood. For example, a piece set under the sea might be in a low octave whereas a piece about a mouse might be in a higher octave.
  • Use markers (e.g. Iwako erasers) to explore the concept of the same notes at different octaves
  • Learn pieces in different 5-finger positions. This helps to expand a student’s range of notes slowly, without too much pressure or the need to stretch or move the hand whilst playing. Be careful that your student doesn’t equate finger numbers with particular notes, or this may create difficulties as they start to play pieces with larger ranges.

Worksheets

We sell our resources through our online Payhip store. The links below will take you directly to the specified product.

Our 5-finger position worksheets are perfect for helping your students to become familiar with basic keyboard geography before moving on to more advanced movements. The worksheets below are also available as part of our February and March 2020 packs for subscribers only. To become a subscriber click here.

These worksheets are particularly effective when used in tandem with learning a piece in that position.

5-finger position worksheet collection:

  • C major (C, D, E, F, and G)
  • G major (G, A, B, C, and D)
  • D major (D, E, F sharp, G, and A)
  • F major (F, G, A, B flat, and C)
  • A minor (A, B, C, D, and E)
  • A major (A, B, C, sharp D, and E), and D minor (D, E, F, G, and A) are also available in the subscriber area.