Level 10 of 36 · Book II: Hands together
Left-hand sight-reading exercises: a busy left hand
The roles swap: the left hand moves in quarter notes, and the right hand holds whole and half notes above it. Most beginners read the treble clef more easily, so this level gives the bass clef the busy part on purpose.
- Hands together
- C major
- 4/4 time
- = 56 to start
8 different exercises, each 8 bars. Listen first, or play it yourself: the music waits for each note.
What level 10 adds
The left hand walks in quarter notes (with a half note now and then) through the chords of C major, in C position. The right hand holds long notes, by step and skip.
What to watch for
- Your eyes will want to stay on the treble staff. The new notes are mostly in the bass, so read there first.
- Holding the right hand while the left hand moves: keep the long note down for its whole length.
- Steps, skips and the odd bigger jump in the bass clef, one per beat: read them by shape, as in levels 3 and 4.
How to practise it
- Read each bar bass first: the right hand only changes once or twice.
- If the left hand stumbles, play just the bass line of an exercise a couple of times, then add the right hand.
- A slower, steady beat is better than a fast one with stops.
Each exercise is new music, written for this level by the same generator the app uses, so you can’t have learned it by ear. Read it once before you play, keep a steady beat, and play on through mistakes. Play it yourself checks your notes from a MIDI keyboard, the mouse or your computer keys, and Print gives you the music alone, to read at the piano.
A new piece every day, at your level
Pianomi is the app these exercises come from. It listens to your MIDI keyboard, grades every note and every beat, and moves you up the 36 levels as your reading improves. It’s free.