Exploring Hand Positions at the Piano
Technical Piano Exercises in Finger-Rhythm Notation
A complete and progressive collection of over 200 technical exercises designed for the very first stages of piano study. These exercises are not conceived as mechanical drills but as short melodic pieces, usually eight bars long, written to combine technical independence with musical expression.
The book is organised into a gradual sequence of hand positions, beginning with the simplest and moving toward more complex configurations. Each position is introduced by a clear keyboard map, allowing both teacher and student to visualise and prepare before playing. This structure provides students with a wide variety of experiences at the keyboard: from positions covering only white keys, to those where the hand must adapt between black and white keys, to more complex and challenging distributions.
A distinctive feature of this work is its notation system, Finger–Rhythm Notation, in which rhythmic values are combined with finger numbers. This method allows the student to practise with focus on rhythm, fingering, and hand position without the difficulty of reading traditional staff notation. A single exercise can thus generate multiple practice modes: mirrored motion, parallel motion, alternating hands, and others.
The book opens with a three-part Preface and Introduction, providing a pedagogical framework:
Teachers will find detailed guidance on how to assign exercises, how to balance the quantity of work across positions, and how to evaluate mastery through flexible but clear criteria. Students, on the other hand, will encounter exercises that are easy to decode, progressively structured, and designed to encourage relaxation, coordination, and expressive phrasing.
This book is therefore both a methodological tool for teachers and a practical companion for students, supporting the development of technical control, independence of the hands, and an early sense of musical shaping.
The book is organised into a gradual sequence of hand positions, beginning with the simplest and moving toward more complex configurations. Each position is introduced by a clear keyboard map, allowing both teacher and student to visualise and prepare before playing. This structure provides students with a wide variety of experiences at the keyboard: from positions covering only white keys, to those where the hand must adapt between black and white keys, to more complex and challenging distributions.
A distinctive feature of this work is its notation system, Finger–Rhythm Notation, in which rhythmic values are combined with finger numbers. This method allows the student to practise with focus on rhythm, fingering, and hand position without the difficulty of reading traditional staff notation. A single exercise can thus generate multiple practice modes: mirrored motion, parallel motion, alternating hands, and others.
The book opens with a three-part Preface and Introduction, providing a pedagogical framework:
- The Preface reflects on the meaning and role of technical exercises in piano pedagogy.
- The Introduction explains in detail how the exercises are structured and how they can be assigned.
- Two Quick Reference tables — one for the student (Steps Before Playing) and one for the teacher (Methodological Directions) — offer concise reminders of the main principles, presented with colour-coded clarity for immediate consultation.
Teachers will find detailed guidance on how to assign exercises, how to balance the quantity of work across positions, and how to evaluate mastery through flexible but clear criteria. Students, on the other hand, will encounter exercises that are easy to decode, progressively structured, and designed to encourage relaxation, coordination, and expressive phrasing.
This book is therefore both a methodological tool for teachers and a practical companion for students, supporting the development of technical control, independence of the hands, and an early sense of musical shaping.
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Composer: Giovanni Andreani
Instrument: Piano Difficulty: Elementary (what does this mean?) Publisher: GA-music Genre: Education, Teaching Method, Technical Exercises, Five Finger Technique Book Type: Printed, Perfect Bound Size: 280 x 216 mm Number of pages: 134 Contents:
This book can be ordered through the leading Online Retailers or at you nearest Bookstore providing the following ISBN code: 978-88-314710-5-3 A downloadable PDF version of this book is available on the Rehearse Flow website (www.rehearseflow.com). You may refer to a specialised online marketplace for books such as AbeBooks (abebooks.com) , Book Depository (bookdepository.com), Amazon, among others. Some retailers provide a regional version of their websites, with a specific domain suffix (.com - .fr - .co.uk - .de - .it - etc.)
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