The Basics PDF

# Lesson 1: The Basics ## Posture * Good posture at the keyboard makes everything easier! If you are sitting, the seat should face the keyboard squarely. Sit up straight with your arms hanging loosely from your shoulders, feet flat on the floor. You’ll know if your seat is at a proper height if you...

# Lesson 1: The Basics ## Posture * Good posture at the keyboard makes everything easier! If you are sitting, the seat should face the keyboard squarely. Sit up straight with your arms hanging loosely from your shoulders, feet flat on the floor. You’ll know if your seat is at a proper height if your elbows are slightly higher than the keyboard. * When standing, face the keyboard with your feet about hip distance apart and a slight bend in your knees. Keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed. ## Right Hand and Left Hand * When playing the keyboard your fingers are numbered 1-5, with the thumb as number 1. ## As you play the keys, keep your fingers curved and the knuckles of your hands rounded, not flat. A rounded hand position will help your fingers move more freely ## The Keyboard * The keyboard is organized in groups of black and white keys * The black keys are easy to see in groups of two and three. * The white keys are named using the first seven letters of the alphabet: A B C D E F G * C is always to the left of the group of 2 black keys *  F is always to the left of the group of 3 black keys * On a full-size keyboard there are 88 keys: 52 white keys and 36 black keys. The lowest white key is A. The eight note, white-key pattern A-B-C-D-E-F-G repeats over and over, from low to high. The C nearest the middle of the keyboard is called Middle C. * Take some time to learn the names of the white keys. One way to do this is to use the black keys as a guide, and play the white keys in groups, CDE, from low to high, and backward from high to low. Repeat this with FGAB. * Another way to practice is to play all the white keys from the lowest to highest, and then backward, high to low. If you forget the name of a white key, just refer to one of the diagrams here. Soon you’ll have them memorized! ## Playing the White Keys * Here's the beginning of a familiar tune, "Jingle Bells." Use your right hand to play the white keys. The letters indicate which keys to play. The numbers above the letters indicate which fingers to use. Continue figuring out the rest of the notes using your ear. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little. Sing along if you like * `E3_ E3_ E3_ E3_ E3_ E3_ E3_ C3_ D3_ E3_ ` * `Jin_ gle_ bells,_ jingle_ bells,_ jingle_ all_ the_ way_.`