The course › Unit 7: Sharps, flats and intervals
Lesson 40 of 72 · Five fingers on G, A, B, C, D
Until now, your hands lived in C position. Move your right hand: thumb (1) on the G above middle C, then A (2), B (3), C (4) and D (5). This is G position.
On the left, pinky (5) on the G just below Bass C, then A (4), B (3), C (2) and D with your thumb (1).
Left hand (orange) and right hand (blue) in G position.
Tip: The G under your right thumb is Treble G, on the 2nd line, the line the treble clef curls around: a landmark you already know!
Right hand, thumb on G. Go up and back down, one finger per note, without moving your hand.
In the treble clef, the five notes alternate line and space: G on the 2nd line, A, B on the 3rd line, C, and D on the 4th line, your new note.
In the bass clef: G on the 1st line (at the very bottom), A, B on the 2nd line, C (your 2nd-space landmark) and D on the 3rd line.
G position, in both hands.
Why this way: Right hand, left hand, then both: practicing hands separately before putting them together is a classic rule of piano practice. Each hand learns its part, and putting them together becomes easy.
Play the written note at its exact place: right hand on top, left hand below.
Read the bass clef, left pinky on the G of the 1st line. One note per finger, without moving your hand.
Playing the same piece higher or lower is called transposing. Thanks to G position, you have nothing to relearn: only the note names change. Right hand in G position: the same melody as in C, a 5th higher, with exactly the same fingers.
Both hands in G position, to finish. Left hand: G (5) and D (1). Right hand: the melody, thumb on G.
← Lesson 39: Intervals, from the 2nd to the octave Lesson 41: D position and F♯ →