Piano / first lessons
Your first piano lessons: hand position and first pieces
Hand position, five-finger patterns, first pieces, and where to go for a structured course. Adult beginner focus, no children’s method books.
You do not need a teacher for the first two months. You do need a keyboard with weighted keys (or an acoustic piano), good hand position from day one, and a plan. Here is the plan.
Hand position, day one
Curved fingers, wrists level with the top of the white keys, elbows slightly below the wrist line. Play with the pads of the fingers, not the tips. If your fingers collapse at the knuckle when you press a key, drop the shoulder and start again.
Middle C and the five-finger position
Right hand: thumb on middle C, index on D, middle on E, ring on F, pinky on G. Left hand: pinky on the C an octave below middle C, ring on D, middle on E, index on F, thumb on G. This is your starting home position for the first two weeks.
Week 1: single-hand five-finger
Right hand C to G, one finger per note, up and down. Slow and clean. Metronome at 60. Ten minutes, five days. Same for left hand. Do not try both hands together yet.
Week 2: both hands together
Both hands playing C, D, E, F, G in unison (both hands play the same note at the same time, an octave apart). Slow. Metronome. Same ten minutes.
Weeks 3-4: your first piece
Pick a simple melody in C major. Ode to Joy (Beethoven) works: E E F G G F E D C C D E E D D. Right hand only for week 3. Add left-hand C as a drone on beat 1 of each bar for week 4.
Weeks 5-8: C major scale, both hands separately
Ascending: 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5 right hand, 5-4-3-2-1-3-2-1 left hand. The thumb crosses under after the third finger. Slow. Metronome. See major scales on piano for the full guide.
Kostka and Payne’s technique appendix recommends adult beginners spend at least four weeks on single-hand five-finger patterns before attempting a full scale. The temptation to skip ahead almost always produces poor thumb-crossing technique that takes months to correct.
Kostka & Payne, Tonal Harmony, 8th ed, appendix on keyboard technique.
Weeks 9-12: your first chord progression
I-V-vi-IV in C major: C major (C-E-G), G major (G-B-D), A minor (A-C-E), F major (F-A-C). Right hand plays the chord (three notes together), left hand plays the root as a single note. Sing along with Let It Be. Congratulations, you can play a pop song.
Structured course, if you want one
Free option: work through the essays on this site plus the circle of fifths and note identifier. Paid option: Pianote (subscription, video lessons, structured for adult learners). Their recommended digital pianos pair with the course.
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