Basic fingering exercises are important to the beginning keyboard student. Proper placement of the fingers while playing a note, chord or arpeggio will establish the muscle mechanics needed for playing chords. The left hand is usually the "bass" hand which plays the lower notes of the piano. The fingering on the left hand usually starts with the pinkie finger number as "1," the ring finger as "2," the middle finger as "3," the index finger as "4" and the thumb as "5." On the right hand, which typically plays the melody, the fingering is totally reverse with the thumb starting off a "5" ending with the pinky finger as "1." Correct fingering also leads to understanding scales and intervals.
In beginning keyboard, major and minor scales are the primary focus in learning notes. A major scale consist of eight notes. A major scale also has a key signature which explains what key the song is in and what notes are generally played within the key signature. A minor scale can be considered as a child of a major scale. Typical minor scales start three half steps down from the root of a major scale. For example, the major scale of "A" will have a minor correspondent scale of "F sharp" (F#) because F# is three steps down from A major.
Intervals are the steps between two notes. For example, between the note "A" and "B" on the piano is one interval. From "A" to "A#" would be a half step. Intervals assist beginning keyboard students to practice and create different scale intervals starting from the root note. A major scale has the following interval pattern, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. learning intervals can lead to understand basic chord structure.
Chord structure teaches the beginning keyboard student how to put chords together and the proper way to play chords. Chords are derived from intervals. A basic chord structure is a 1-3-5 structure with the root note as 1, the third interval and the fifth interval. Most pop music uses the 1-3-5 chord structures for songs. Chord structure also teaches harmony and melody and the practice of adding to the chord structure by using a 7th or 9th interval.