“Where do my hands go?” Do your students ask you this question? Mine do. It doesn’t matter how well they read notation… many of my beginning piano students always seem to need the security of having me tell them (and tell them again) their starting position.
I use method books that don’t lock students into one hand position for months, and I do this on purpose because I believe in the need for students to be comfortable playing “out of position” early in their lesson experience. This means that my students’ pieces don’t always start in C or Middle C position. And so I get this question often.
This is one of the first topics we cover when beginning a new piece; “What is the starting note in your left hand? What is the starting note in your right hand? How will you remember that? What hand position is this piece in, then? Can you take your hands off the piano and then find that starting position again?” They have all the right answers. And then the next time we open the book to that very same page…
“Where do my hands go?”
It’s like an epidemic.
And so instead of writing huge reminders all over their page that seem to go ignored, I’ve changed my plan of attack and it’s worked wonders.
And so I’m sharing with you a little printable in the hopes that we can also rid your studio of the Where-do-my-hands-go plague.
All you have to do is download this free hand position printable. Then, have it laminated, cut out the cards (one per student), paper-clip one to the top of the your student’s piece, and, using a dry-erase marker, circle the finger on each hand your student needs to use for their starting position. After this, write the note name above each circled finger. You can re-use these for each new piece you begin.
It’s noticeable enough that students will… well… notice! And it’s clear, concise, visual and to the point. I wean them off of this aid as they gain more experience on the piano, but for those first few months of lessons it has completely taken away their need for reassurance from me. Once that dependence is eliminated they begin to become confident enough to look to the page for cues on their own. Until then… these cheerful little cards are eliminating that question from my piano studio for good!
If you’re looking for more great piano teaching tips that will help you build a bigger studio in the new year, then be sure to check out our teacher’s guide, Piano Hands Shouldn’t Flip Burgers.
geneva keinath says
Yes, they ask where their hands go. It helps them tremendously to know this but only because they catch on to patterns fast as in FAST! When I first realized this it turned my whole piano teacher world upside down. A child will do ANYTHING to keep from having to read notes because notes take on a whole new thing. They try to read positionally using finger numbers. Example: 12345 = CDEFG and they get real good at playing 1 – 3 – 5 – 4- 2 – 3 – 1, etc. So, I try hard to teach notes FIRST, then finger numbers and then counting and then positions but I usually don’t start positions until the second level when we start scales. In the beginning I had a student who was taught finger positions and numbers exclusively and when he couldn’t advance, the teacher quit and that was second level. So, when I started I realized that he could play one page perfectly but could not play the next page. He would beg for me to put finger numbers down. He learned the whole of Linus and Lucy this way and couldn’t read a note, yes the original and he was age nine. I have found through the years that this is one of the situations I have to deal with when I follow other teachers because it is an easy way to make everybody happy. Johnny can play anything just so long as he knows the finger numbers – but most cannot deal with fast changes in finger positions after the linear work is finished – around level two. With that in mind, I will never forget a girl who could read notes but each week behind my back her father was teaching her the pieces and he would teach her where the keys were and finger numbers and finally when I figured it out I started making her read the notes to me first and then she quit, she said her piano lessons were the longest 30 minutes in history.
So, just to say it’s a struggle to keep them from figuring out those patterns, we need to force them to read notes or we lose them. I have tried everything but the truth is that they need to learn how to read those notes.
Andrea says
Hi Geneva,
I’m in complete agreement with you! Learning by finger numbers is never a good long-term solution. This is exactly why I use method books that move students around frequently so they are not in the position of thinking that finger 2 in the right hand is the same thing as “D”. I too have struggled with transfer students who can only play in C or Middle C position (see solutions in the link in the article above). It’s a tough habit to break. These cards are there to help the child know where to start – not to lock them into a hand position or into reading only by fingers. This is why I suggested circling the finger and writing the note name (not writing the number). Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! It’s an important lesson and it does make teaching piano so much different when your students can play with freedom on the keyboard. Cheers!
Joyce says
I’m thinking this would be great for the students to do themselves – circle the hand/finger/ name the note…
Andrea says
Hi Joyce – yes, all my students write it themselves. They seem to be so attracted to dry erase markers (and highlighters) and it’s something they look forward to. Having them do it themselves really does create a good sense of ownership over their own learning. Thanks for commenting!
Sarai says
THIS IS SO AWESOME
Andrea says
Hi Sarai! Glad it will help you 🙂
robin madden says
Where do my hands go?
Hm. On the piano. How many fingers do you have?
10.
How many keys are on the piano?
88.
You are seriously outnumbered. How are you going to handle this, Commander?
Andrea says
Ha ha! So very true Robin 🙂 Top that off with only being 7 or 8 years old and it’s no wonder they ask this question. Cheers!
Sylvia says
What an awesome idea! I am going to print some off today!
Thanks!
Sandy says
I leave them on their own after the first time we talk about it for each piece. They ask me where their hands go, and I shrug good-naturedly, and say “Don’t ask me.” or “I don’t know. You can figure it out.” Then when they put their hands down and look at me for confirmation that it’s correct (especially when I know they are guessing and haven’t thought through the steps), I say “Don’t look at me. You’re the musician.” If needed, I make them talk me through their thinking. It takes some time in their lesson to think it through, but it seems to work.
But your approach probably isn’t as “mean.” I could see myself using it. My group lessons might benefit from something like that to.
Carole Bryan says
My standard line is “If God wanted us to play with numbers and positions we would have 44 fingers on the right hand and 44 fingers on the left hand”.
Linda Kranovich says
Having piano students sightread at each lesson helps them learn to read notation quickly. I use a variety of “easy” music for sightreading so that it becomes an enjoyable activity yet it helps me determine their reading skill level. For the music, I white-out finger numbers.
Amy says
So….
The hand on the left (which actually shows the palm of the right hand) represents the left hand. And the hand on the right (which actually shows the palm of the left hand) represents the right hand.
Clearly I have thought too hard about this – and too literally, and am sure no young child will interpret it as I have. 😀