Five-finger positions

A five-finger position means placing one finger on each of five neighbouring keys, so you do not have to move your hand. It is the ideal playground for beginners: the hand stays stable and the mind can focus on sound, evenness and reading. Many first melodies (Au clair de la lune, Ode to Joy, Frère Jacques) fit in a single position.

Basic positions

These positions follow the pattern tone – tone – semitone – tone (major) or tone – semitone – tone – tone (minor): once you know the pattern, you can build a position on any note. When a black key falls under the 3rd finger (like F♯ in D), move the hand slightly further into the keys so that every finger stays comfortable.

M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=88
K:G
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] !1!G A B c | !5!d c B A | G B d B | G4 |]
[V:LH] !5!G,, A,, B,, C, | !1!D, C, B,, A,, | G,, B,, D, B,, | G,,4 |]

Exercise: round the positions (5 minutes a day)

1. Right hand alone, in C position: go up and down (1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1) very slowly, each note placed with the arm's weight.
2. The same with the left hand (5 4 3 2 1 2 3 4 5).
3. Hands together, in parallel motion (both going up), an octave apart.
4. Hands together, in contrary motion, both thumbs on middle C: the hands move apart and come back together. This is the easiest, because the same fingers play at the same time!
5. Transpose into the G, D, F and A minor positions.