Teaching hand positions is not something I have ever done regularly in my teaching career. (For this blog, by hand positions I mean students thinking if a piece is in C then my right thumb goes on C, if it’s in G my thumb goes on G etc.) However, I have had a couple of transfer students who had previously been taught this way. This post will take you through 5 reasons why I don’t teach ‘5 finger positions’ in lessons and why I prefer I stay away from this teaching strategy, as well as what I prefer to do instead.
Contents
5 Reasons Why I Don’t Teach ‘5 Finger Positions’ in Piano Lessons
Reason #1. You are doing your students a disservice in the long run
Music doesn’t stay in the five finger position for long. As soon as a student reaches a Grade 1 standard their hands will be moving out of these ‘5 Finger Positions’! Sometimes this may happen even in pieces set for the Initial Grade Exam.
Playing an instrument is a lot about forming good habits: a habit of good technique, a habit of regular practice, a habit of practice strategies all require the formation and repetition of good habits.
I believe that by talking about ‘C position’ or ‘G position’ we create a habit that will eventually need to be undone! It is far easier in the long run for your students to form good habits in the first place – habits that can be built on.
Reason #2. It encourages a “static” body position mindset
So much of playing the piano is about how we move, how we position our bodies, how to play with as little tension as possible. The five finger position is static – it’s antithetical to so much of piano technique.
Our students are often capable of so much more than we give them credit for. Even my really young starters (i.e. 4 and 5 year olds) have been able to have a go at tucking their thumb under, crossing their middle finger over, very early on in their lessons. This has been the case with my Neurodiverse students as well.
TIP: This over/under movement doesn’t need to be taught simultaneously to scales. You can teach the movements and let students explore their way up and down the piano freely. You can both demonstrate good technique, but also help guide their fingers/thumbs slowly so that the student starts to get a feel physically of what it should feel like to move their fingers in this way.
Reason #3. It hampers learning to read music
My transfer students that have learnt this method previously have tended to have a harder time learning to read music. They tend to learn by looking at, and relying on the finger numbers printed on the music – leading to trouble if the thumb was meant to tuck under or fingers cross over!
Transitioning away from this 5 finger only habit requires a lot of time in lessons (and a lot of your patience!)
Reason #4. It incorrectly associates a finger with a letter
This is closely related to reason #3. When students are so used to a ‘5 finger position’, this can lead to associating a finger with a specific letter when sight reading. For example, in the music they see a G and may default to using their little finger (5), but that isn’t where their hand is!
This takes time to undo as well – the incorrect muscle memory can be strong!
Reason #5. You can still use 5 finger scales and exercises without referring to it as such
I often teach pentascales to start with, they are a simple way to explore different keys as well as finger independence. If my student seems to have grasped the pentascale I will often ask “do you want to learn the longer scale too?” Sometimes the student does immediately, in which case I will teach them the octave scale. Sometimes they don’t and I will teach the octave scale later on. (Even if they want to just stick to pentascales, you can still teach the crossing over and tucking under movement separately – see the TIP above.)
Similarly with Piano exercises, I still make good use of exercises that are in a ‘5 finger position’ (in fact there is a mostly 5 finger exercise that I love to introduce students to because it works out finger number 4!) But I don’t talk about “getting your hand in ‘C position’” or anything similar.
I think it is the lack of naming it as a specific ‘position’ that prevents a habit from forming, as well as talking about “where does your hand move to in this piece?” And, “your hand doesn’t need to move in this exercise.” These reinforce the mobile nature of playing piano.
What I Do Instead of Teaching ‘5 Finger Positions’ in Piano Lessons
Discussing where your hand starts, where it moves to (if it moves) is a better strategy long term. Which finger needs to be on which note to approach this piece/exercise? As well as teaching crossing over and tucking under motions as early as possible into piano lessons.
This works better for students because:
- It encourages the notion of playing piano as something mobile – we don’t just sit still, with our hands in one place! We move our hands, our full arms, lean when necessary etc. And we play notes all over the piano.
- It starts good habits early – rather than something you will have to work against to “undo”. It creates a good foundation for sight reading, finger independence and legato playing.
- It prepares students to be able to play a wide range of repertoire! Not much music is written in, or can be adapted to a ‘5 finger position’.
That’s a wrap!
In conclusion, I believe that by teaching ‘5 finger positions’ in piano lessons we are doing our students a huge disservice in the long term. By teaching a mobile approach to playing, we set our students onto a good habit path from the outset. A habit they can then build good technique on as lessons progress. Seems like a no-brainer, right?