Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Are you having a tough time reading piano notes for the left hand? (Or are you a piano teacher who have students that can’t read the left hand notes?) Many piano students quit piano because of the hurdle of reading two different clefs. Color coding can bridge the gap and help piano students master the instrument. Keep reading to learn about playing piano with color coded left hand notes.
Don’t have a music keyboard? Not a problem! Try this online keyboard:
I wrote the post, Playing the Piano with Color Coded Notes, as a practical example of color coded music.
- It shows how the different color coded elements work together to help students learn.
- However, it only deals with the notes played by the right hand.
- Today’s post will focus on the left hand.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Playing Piano with Color Coded Left Hand Notes: Why Color Coding?
Why play piano with color coded left hand notes? Because musical notation is counter intuitive.
- Siu-Lan Tan found that non-musicians usually thought that music notation would function the opposite way than it does in actual practice.
- This means that beginning students will often struggle to grasp how the sheet music works.
This goes double for ADD, LD, ASD, and special needs music students.
- George L. Rogers found that color coded notes allowed LD and special needs students to score better than typical learner students.
- However, they failed to read the music at all with the color coding absent.
- Nevertheless, color coding doesn’t need to be limited to LD and special needs students.
For more on color coding read:
The Hand Position and Playing Piano with Color Coded Left Hand Notes
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Hand Icon (churien.deviantart.com/art/hand-template-blank-272630198) by Churien is licensed under CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0). Modified by Geoffrey Keith.
Before you try to play piano with color coded left hand notes, we need to talk about fingering.
Here’s the left hand fingering for G position:
- First Finger: The thumb goes on the D (gray) key
- Second Finger: The pointer finger goes on the C (orange) key
- Third Finger: The middle man goes on the B (blue) key
- Fourth Finger: The ring finger goes on the A (purple) key
- Fifth Finger: The pinky goes on the G (green) key
Color coding the instrument and the fingers pulls everything together:
- For instance, the student presses the purple finger, on the purple key, reading the purple note in the score.
For further info:
Merrily We Roll Along and Playing Piano with Color Coded Left Hand Notes
As you attempt to play piano with color coded left hand notes, say and play the note names to a steady beat.
- In addition, say and play the finger numbers (the black numbers).
- Clap and count the rhythm (the red and blue numbers).
For a review of counting rhythm read:
In addition, I’ve included a sound track for Merrily We Roll Along.
- Don’t listen to the track before you attempt the song.
- Instead, listen to the sound track after you’ve tried the song to see if you got it right.
Your core skills for early piano lessons:
- Notes
- Fingering
- Rhythm
Playing and saying the notes and finger numbers works on note and finger skills respectively. Clapping the notes develops your rhythms skills.
Merrily We Roll Along:
Playing Piano with Color Coded Left Hand Notes: Quiz
Once you’ve mastered the Merrily We Roll Along version of playing piano with color coded left hand notes, you can attempt the quiz. Be sure to say and play the notes.
Conclusion
The more you play piano with color coded left hand notes, the more you’ll gain self assurance.
Eventually, students will graduate from the color coding, including most autistic, LD, and other special needs students.
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
What Precisely Is the Purpose of a Clef?
What precisely is the purpose of a clef? It’s the symbol to the left side of the staff that helps you know how to play the sheet music’s notes. The three most common are: treble, alto, and bass. Keep reading to learn what they are and how they work. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
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What Does Prodigy Mean and Do They Have Elite Musical Talent?
Do you have a musical prodigy on your hands? Do you need information about how your musical child or student learns? Musical giftedness can emerge as early as one to two years old and usually appears before age six. It’s characterized by a rage to learn. Keep reading “What Does Prodigy Mean and Do They Have Elite Musical Talent?” to get examples of this shocking musical ability. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
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How Do I Switch from Minor Key Shaped Notes to Standard Notation – Part 2
How do I switch from minor key shaped notes to standard notation?” Sight singing minor keys in standard notation can be challenging. Because it can be difficult to figure out if you’re in a major key or the relative minor. Read more to learn how to transition from shaped notes to standard notation for minor keys. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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50 Essential Music Symbols Explained in Less Than 5 Minutes
Do you get confused when you look at sheet music? Do you want to know what the music symbols mean? The visual-score-guides paired with quick explanations will help you understand the music notation. Keep reading “50 Essential Music Symbols Explained in Less Than 5 Minutes” to find the symbols listed by notation category. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
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