A semitone is the distance between two notes directly beside each other on the piano.
The terms tone (or whole tone) and semitone refer to the distance between two notes. Sounds pretty similar to C Major, right? This is because of the pattern of tones and semitones. This time, instead of playing all white notes, raise F to F#. Use the same fingering you did to play C Major. Use your thumb if you’re playing with the right hand, or the fifth finger if you are using the left. Once you can comfortably play C Major scale with both hands, it’s time to try something a little more challenging. Can you see the similarities between the left and right hand fingering? Use your second finger to play B and your thumb to play Middle C now the top note of the scale. Now, just as you did with the right hand, cross your third finger over the thumb to play A and bring your hand back to a curved position. Play one note with each finger until you reach G with your thumb. To play the ascending scale in the left hand, begin with your fifth finger on the C below Middle C. Let the hands return to a curved position and finish the scale using your second finger to play D and your thumb to return to Middle C.
Now, cross your third (middle) finger over your thumb to play E. You’ll begin with your fifth finger on high C and use every finger until your thumb reaches F. The fingering for the descending scale will remain the same- just in reverse. See how we can now play the whole scale without lifting your hand from the keyboard? You’ll use your second finger to play G, finger three to play A, four for B and your fifth finger for the top C. As your thumb crosses, let the rest of your fingers move so you return to a curved hand shape. Now, as you reach F, cross your thumb beneath your fingers as you practiced earlier. You’ll use your second finger to play D and finger three to play E. We call this an ascending scale.īegin with your thumb on C. We’ll start with the right hand and play a scale that moves higher up the piano. So let’s try the C Major scale again, this time paying attention to the fingering. Numbering the Fingers (Left & Right hand) Remember, the thumb of each hand is finger one, moving outwards to the pinky finger, number five. This is the movement we will be making when passing the thumb as you play scales.īefore we continue, take a moment to revise the finger numbers we use when playing the piano. Now try reaching your thumb across your palm to touch your little finger. Hold out your hand with your palm facing upwards. Let’s start with an exercise to practice passing the thumb beneath the fingers. The scale has eight notes- but we only have five fingers! This is where finger crossing comes in. When you played the C Major scale, you probably came across a slight issue. Learning key signatures assists with chord playing, sight reading, improvisation, song writing and much more! Scale fingering (We all want to be able to play faster, right? So get practising scales!)įinally, scales help you learn which sharps and flats belong to each key.
They are also great for improving clarity of notes, developing a controlled tone and increasing speed. These are things pianists are required to do all the time in their pieces, so playing scales provides the perfect platform to practice technical elements. If you’re tempted to skip scale practice and dive right into your pieces, you’re certainly not alone! But there are many reasons why starting your practice sessions with scales is a good idea.įirstly, have you ever tried to play the piano with cold hands? Impossible, right? Playing scales is a great way to warm up the hands, in the same way a runner will stretch his or her body before setting off on the track.Īs we will see shortly, playing scales involves some technical moves such as crossing the fingers over and under each other. Okay, I’ll admit, scales aren’t the most exciting thing in the world to play. Starting here, play all the white keys until you reach the next C. In music, the term scale refers to a pattern of notes ordered by pitch.
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