Hands Down! - the position finding game

A piano has 88 keys, we have 10 fingers, this means finding where to put your hands can sometimes feel pretty difficult for young beginners. I can't count the number of times I've received a midweek text asking "where do we put our hands for X song?" (and I love getting those, honestly, because it means someone is practicing! So keep the questions coming) What this does tell me is that the work & reminders we do on finding positions in lessons isn't always quite enough for students to feel confident finding it again on their own. So, this week's game "Hands Down!" gamifies the skills & routine necessary for young students to place their fingers on the keys with confidence.

This is a great way to supplement at home practice. Parents, you can play these early games with your children and partner in their learning process. Allow them explain the rules & teach you about position finding, because in teaching it they will reinforce their own confidence in the concept. Position finding involves matching a finger (indicated by a number) to the correct key (indicated by a letter name). When matching fingers to notes in the game, you can either use the keyboard on the gameboard (which is great if you're away from your piano), or my preferred method is to use your actual piano for the matching part of the game. This way you are continuing to reinforce real keyboard awareness & navigation.

This game is available individually here for $2, or as part of this Beginning Piano Bundle of all 3 games I am featuring this month for only $3. All downloads are licensed for unlimited printing. (As always, for students in my studio, these materials are included, so if you would like a copy of the game, please just let me know.)