Level 11 of 36 · Book II: Hands together
Hands together sight reading: both hands moving
Both hands now move in quarter notes at the same time: the right hand mostly in quarters, the left hand in halves and quarters. Two moving lines to read at once is the real start of hands-together reading.
- 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 11 adds
The right hand moves by step and skip, mostly in quarter notes, in C position. The left hand walks through the chords in half and quarter notes. Many beats now have a note in each hand.
What to watch for
- Reading vertically: notes stacked above each other are played together, so read each beat as one pair.
- Contrary and parallel motion: hands moving apart, together, or one still while the other moves. Notice which before you play.
- Your weaker hand: if one hand keeps lagging, it is usually the one you read second.
How to practise it
- Read the bar as pairs of notes, beat by beat, rather than as two separate lines.
- Choose a speed where you can play every beat without stopping. ♩ = 56 is the level’s tempo, and slower is fine.
- Use “Listen” to hear how the two lines fit together before you play.
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.