Level 3 of 36 · Book I: Single lines
Left-hand sight-reading exercises: bass clef, steps
The bass clef, with the left hand alone. The melodies move by step again, as in level 1, so all the new work is in reading a clef where every line and space means a different note.
- Left hand alone
- C major
- 4/4 time
- = 60 to start
8 different exercises, each 8 bars. Listen first, or play it yourself: the music waits for each note.
What level 3 adds
The left hand sits in C position an octave below middle C: little finger on C, thumb on G. Notes move by step or repeat, in whole, half and quarter notes in 4/4, in C major.
In the bass clef this C sits in the second space from the bottom, and G in the top space. Read the notes by playing them, not by recalling the treble-clef names: the same line or space means a different note.
What to watch for
- Treble-clef habits: the same line in the bass clef is a different note. A note in the second space is C here, not A.
- Fingering runs the other way: in the left hand, going up the staff goes from the little finger towards the thumb.
- Steps still change line to space, just as in the treble clef.
How to practise it
- Learn two landmarks: C in the second space from the bottom, G in the top space. Read everything else as a step from one of them.
- Set your hand before starting: little finger on the C below middle C.
- Play each exercise twice: once to find the notes, once to keep the beat steady.
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.