Introduction

A finger placement exercise is a fast way to write down and learn melody patterns without using notation. There is no timing information allowing you to focus on the actual sound of the melody and the rhythm your able to include using your ears rather than trying to read rhythm which slows down your learning. Finger placement exercises give you insight into the intervals of a particular key signature. Finger placement exercise indicate the exact finger-interval locations when learning to play melody patterns. The only theorical knowledge required is learning how to locate intervals given a reference note. see Fast Tips - Intervals

Timing

Learning to play piano by reading timing information on traditional notation is frustrating and slowing you down, there is a better way.

Timing will come naturally if you train your ear to hear melodies and reproduce them on the piano. Harmonic timing will also develop as it needs to be synchronised with the melodic timing. When you focus on reading timing on a piece of paper, your brain is trying to manage a translation between your eyes into a rhythmic pattern you hear, this is not a natural approach to develop good timing. Timing must be heard and felt, not something you see, by removing timing information from a page, you no longer have that visual crutch so your brain is forced to hear the timing, this is how to develop excellent timing ability. 

Finger placement exercise format

[Root][Execution][Hand][Finger][Interval]…[Direction][Finger][Interval]…

[Root] The root note of the exercise.

[Execution]  How to play the exercise. see Symbol meaning

[Hand] Which hand to play the exercise, it only needs to be indicated with the first interval for the line L or R

[Direction] Rising  > or falling < only.

[Finger] Which finger associated with the interval, T I M R P.

[High Indicator] Indicates you rise to the indicated interval over the octave. H Example H3, H-7, H2

[Interval] The interval associated with the finger.  1 -2 2 -3 3 4 -5 5 +5 6 -7 7

Finger placement exercise symbol meanings

>   Keep on rising until you see a reverse change of direction.

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

<<  Start from a high interval and move down then jump back up to the high interval and repeat multiple times.

>>  Start from a low interval and move up then jump back down to the low interval and repeat multiple times.

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

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

==  Play the chord.

H   Play the interval above but over the octave.

||  Play lines together either with both hands or the same hand using different fingers.

_|_ The Anchor symbol, anchor a finger on a note while playing the pattern with the other fingers.

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

Example 1

The follow is a simple example showing how to play the C western major scale using the right hand.

C >< RT1 I2 M3 T4 I5 M6 R7 P1

C Is the root note of the exercise, interval 1.

>< Indicates you rise up sequentially to the high 1 then come back down the scale sequentially.

R Indicates the right hand and applies for the entire line.

RT1 I2 M3 T4 I5 M6 R7 P1 These are all the finger interval placements for the above scale.

Example 1

In this exercise the right hand rises up and then comes back down again while the left hand plays a power chord.

C >< || RT1 I2 M3 R4 T5

C == || LP1 M5 T1

Example 2

Rock blues pattern. Both lines are played together with your left hand, your thumb and pinky are playing at the same time.

When you finish the pattern, you start from the beginning again and repeat multiple times.

C >> || LT55 <M-3 >M3  

C >> ||  LP11

Example 3

Jump blues pattern. Both lines are played together with your left hand, your thumb, pinky and index fingers.

When you finish the pattern, you start from the beginning again and repeat multiple times.

C >> || LT5 T6 <I5 >T-7 <T6 I5

C >> || LP1 P1      P1   P1

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.

Examples finger placement exercises