Exercise Instructions 

The purpose of finger placement exercises is to build left and right hand accuracy, rigidity, interval recognition, tonal recognition and melodic rhythmic training. Listen for the intervals, particularly the melody it creates. It's up to you to add some melodic rhythm to create another memory association so it's easier for you to remember the sequence. Finger placement exercises are not to be uses as a visual crutch, they show you only how to place your fingers on the intervals. Look down at your hands and remember the pattern, using your visual and tonal memory, then by adding melodic rhythm, you'll be able to remember the sequence easier. The memory associations will be; visual, looking at your hands, melodic rhythm, tonal sound, interval numbers and lastly muscle memory. DO NOT rely on muscle memory as your primary ability, GO slowly at first to break any muscle memory development, remember, muscle memory is the last memory association. Once you know how to play the exercise, use your muscle memory to go faster, but make sure you understand all the intervals, the flow of your hands, and listen to the sound of the intervals.

What we're trying to achieve with these exercises, it to break muscle memory in a way it doesn't associate to the actual notes, rather the melodic interval movement and rhythm which may be applied at different locations on the keyboard, different note combinations. When you learn to play a song in only one key signature, your brain associates your muscle memory with the sound it hears in that key signature, which doesn't enable you to play in other key signatures, this is why most people who learn by sheet music alone, can't improvise.

Learn how to play finger placement exercises.