Level 19 of 36 · Book III: Intervals and chords
Sight-reading exercises with left-hand triads
Three-note chords in the left hand: the I, IV and V chords of the key, in root position, one per bar. A root-position triad is a stack of thirds, which on the staff looks like three notes on three lines, or three in three spaces.
- Hands together
- C major
- 4/4 time
- = 52 to start
8 different exercises, each 8 bars. Listen first, or play it yourself: the music waits for each note.
What level 19 adds
In C major these are C–E–G, F–A–C and G–B–D. The chord is held as a whole note while the right hand plays a melody in whole, half and quarter notes, mostly by step and skip.
What to watch for
- The snowman shape: three notes stacked on all lines or all spaces is a root-position triad. The bottom note names the chord.
- Big moves between chords: in root position the hand jumps from one chord to the next. Look ahead to where it lands.
- Holding three notes: keep all three down for the whole bar.
How to practise it
- Read only the bottom note of each chord, and let the shape give you the rest: fingers 5, 3 and 1.
- Find the three chords on the keyboard before you start: C, F and G.
- During the last beat of the bar, look at the next chord’s bottom note.
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.