Exercise Instructions

Instructions: The purpose of finger placement exercises is to build left and right hand accuracy, rigidity, interval recognition, tonal recognition and melodic rhythmic training. You'll be playing keyed modal scales, observe the key signature and take note of the Keyed Modal Scale operations which might take you out of key for some exercises, this will all be explained in coming YouTube videos. 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. The hand placement formula is not to be uses as a visual crutch, it's only there to show you how to place your fingers on the notes. 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 three 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 are 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 intervals and rhythm which may be applied at different locations on the keyboard, that is 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.

Exercise symbol meaning
X  >   Keep on rising until you see a reverse change of direction.

X  <   Keep on falling until you see a reverse change of direction.

X  ><  Rise up then come back to the root of the exercise.

X  <>  From the high note, go down then up again back to the high note.

X  ==  Play the chord.

X  ||  Play the line and the next line together with both hands together.

X  being the chord the exercise is applied.

Example finger placement meaning

LP1    Left hand, pinky on root of the pattern exercise.

LI2    Left hand, index finger on the second interval.

RM-3   Right hand, middle finger on the minor third interval.

RR-7   Right hand, ring finger on the minor seventh interval.

LM-55  Left hand,  middle finger, play flat five interval twice.

RI222  Right hand, ring finger, play second interval three times.

RI7777 Right hand, index finger, play major seventh interval four times.

Note For the symbol >< the arrows only apply when rising, reading from left to right. they don't apply when falling, reading from right to left.

Note For the symbol <> the arrows only apply when falling, reading from left to right. they don't apply when rising, reading from right to left.