Music Tip - Numbered Fingers

Here’s another piano idea I use when I’m teaching new students.  To help them learn the finger numbers, I use rings that they put on their fingers.  I have two sets—the eyeball rings—for boys, of course—and the flower rings, for girls. 

I tell them that the thumbs are always #1.  They put the numbered rings on the appropriate fingers in order from 1-5, first the right hand, then the left.  Then we play the scramble ring game.  I give them a ring and they find the matching finger to put it on—they’re not in order this time.

Silly-but fun, and they quickly learn the finger numbers.  I realize this is not a hard concept to teach, but I teach young children and this is a major concept to learn for them.

By the way, sometimes I’ll have students that play a string instrument come to me for piano lessons.  It is hard for them to adjust to the fact that the thumb is #1 instead of the pointer finger like it is for the violin. Then I have to remind them, “use your piano finger #1”. 

I think the piano is the only instrument that calls the thumb #1.  Why don’t we make life easier and number our fingers like all the other instruments do?  We could easily label the thumb on music as “t”. 

 Just a thought……

Thanks for reading,

Cathy

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