You’ve started to get the hang of reading music at the keyboard along with songs. So now, let’s expand your reading into another pair of shapes.
We’ll start with the same notation as before, that includes your thumbs. And when you go to the playlist, all the songs still have the same anchor note. But now, you’ll also get songs that fit with the shapes 4 to the Left and 4 to the Right.
So start by grabbing the groups of three top keys, like before, so your three fingers that stick up are aligned with them. And when you get a song in 4 to the Left or 4 to the Right, you adjust one finger in each hand into the new shape.
So for 4 to the Left, start from the group of three and adjust this finger [show]. And if you get a song in 4 to the Right, start from the group of three and adjust this finger [show].
Other than moving into the new shape, the rest of the fingering pattern is exactly the same, and you can still feel the different distances for your thumbs. Like 5 to the Left, your thumbs in 4 to the Left stretch a little farther to the left, and bump up against the next group of two top keys [show]. And like 5 to the Right, your thumbs in 4 to the Right stretch farther to the right, and also bump up against the next group of two top keys [show].
So try reading the first notation along with some songs in these two new shapes, and pay attention to how each of the different shapes feels in your hands. And when you’ve got the hang of it, the second notation extends the range beyond your thumbs and into the next group of two top keys in either direction [show].
The notes in the group of two are shared by all the shapes in the playlist so far. And you use your thumbs to pivot between the different groups of top keys, like this [show].
You already know how to do this from playing your shape fingering in the TOP shape. So you’re keeping that same fingering pattern, but adjusting it to the different contours of the different shapes.
As you read, pay extra attention to your thumbs as the point where you pivot between the groups of top keys. They keep you oriented to the keyboard while you align your fingers with the next group of top keys.
So give it a try. And when you feel comfortable reading the second notation in the TOP shape, 5, and 4 to the Left and Right, then you’re ready to come back for more.
Notation: Thumbs
Notation: Pivot