Zebra Keys Blog

Piano technique is how piano players physically execute their performance. A good way to improve piano technique is to perform finger exercises.

You can learn some finger exercises that are really fun to play and also fun to listen to. These exercises will also improve your finger strength and flexibility.  Below is three finger exercises that you can practice. See a detailed description of each lesson below.

Sounds of the Orient

In this lesson, you will be playing only the black key notes. Playing just the black keys is an easy way to play the 5-note Pentatonic scale. The Pentatonic scale creates a mood that may remind you of songs from East Asia.

Mysterious Sounds

In this lesson, you will be learning about a series of notes that will create a mood that is strange and mysterious. The series of note you will see make up the whole tone scale. The whole tone scale is a 6-note scale. It is called the whole tone scale because every note in the scale is separated by an interval of one whole step.

Arpeggio

In this lesson, you will be playing arpeggios. Arpeggios are just chords that are played one note at a time instead of together. You will be playing arpeggios with the C major chord.

Alfred’s Basic Piano Library: Technique Level 1A
Mastering Piano Technique: A Guide for Students, Teachers and Performers (See all Music Techniques Books)

You can access our Virtual Piano Keyboard (if you don’t already own a piano) to practice the first two techniques.  Learn more piano technique Read the rest of this entry »