Beginning in level 1 books, piano students will encounter songs with mid-piece hand movements.
Usually, the mid-piece movements involve the right hand leaping between the C 5-finger scale and the treble C 5-finger scale.
This simple shift is very exciting for young kids. Playing up an octave allows for an injection of drama that sounds very “mature”.
But songs with mid-piece hand movements can also cause problems for young students.
So, in today’s post, we are sharing a Quick Fix Summer Solo that will have your students making mid-piece movements without skipping a beat!
The Problem With Mid-Piece Hand Movements
Prior to playing mid-piece hand movements, students learn to read notes in the treble C 5-finger position.
And while many students struggle with note reading in this new position, this is not the challenge we are addressing today.
Because the real issue with mid-piece hand movements is the potential rhythmic disruptions that occur as students hesitate during the octave leap.
Anyone who teaches young piano students knows that changing to treble C position in the middle of a song invariably leads to a long pause as kids stare down at the keyboard to locate where their hands are and where their hands are supposed to be going.
This pause disrupts the flow of the song and a student’s frame of mind. Even if the student manages to make the transition, more often than not, the rest of the tune can be a real struggle.
The first step in conquering this new skill is teaching your students to landmark using the group of two black keys. Once located, your students should easily be able to drop their thumbs down on the white key below.
The next step is to have your students practice switching their hands back and forth between the C 5-finger scale and the treble C 5-finger scale. This practice can begin when students are first introduced to the treble C 5-finger scale and long before they encounter any mid-piece hand movements.
The final step is for your students to use this new skill in context. But, rather than simply throw them into any old tune, it is best to use music that is specifically written with mid-piece hand movements in mind.
And that is what today’s Quick Fix Summer Solo is all about!
Before You Download Today’s Quick Fix Tune
Technical exercises should be a part of every piano lesson. But, because these exercises are generally short, students complete them fast and then run out of daily material.
This, however, does not happen when using Andrea and Trevor Dow’s Technical Exercises For Note Reading Success, Book Two.
This resource for level 1 piano students contains 280 technical exercises that are designed to work out your students’ fingers and, most importantly, improve their note-reading skills.
Click here or on the cover below to learn more.
Download Today’s Quick Fix Piano Tune
Today’s tune is our third Quick Fix Summer Solo. To download our first Quick Fix Summer Solo, read this post. To download our second Quick Fix Summer Solo, read this post.
Biplane Bear is a six-line piano piece for level 1 students that focuses on mid-piece hand movements.
Click here or on the image below to download Biplane Bear.
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