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Warm-up: C major five-finger pattern, hands separate then together, then G position

It puts C and G under the fingers before any reading, so the exercises are about the page and not about hunting for keys.

How to
  1. Right hand: C D E F G going up, then back down to C. One note per slow count.
  2. Left hand alone, the same five notes, up and then down.
  3. Both hands together on C, up and down. If they fall apart, go back to one hand.
  4. Move to G. Right hand: G A B C D up, then down.
  5. Left hand alone on G, up and down, then both hands together.
Start

After this: Sight-reading placement: five exercises at 60 bpm. Try level 1, then 2, then 3, and stop where accuracy drops under 80%.

Week 1

Day 1: Placement

Monday, November 9

Find the sight-reading level that stays above 80 percent, and wake the chords up.

Piano, about 40 minutes

0 of 5

  • It puts C and G under the fingers before any reading, so the exercises are about the page and not about hunting for keys.

    How to
    1. Right hand: C D E F G going up, then back down to C. One note per slow count.
    2. Left hand alone, the same five notes, up and then down.
    3. Both hands together on C, up and down. If they fall apart, go back to one hand.
    4. Move to G. Right hand: G A B C D up, then down.
    5. Left hand alone on G, up and down, then both hands together.

  • The level where you still clear 80 percent is the one that trains reading instead of guessing.

    How to
    1. Pick a level. On a placement day, start at level 1.
    2. Press Start count-in and let the clicks finish before you play.
    3. Play the exercise with the clicks.
    4. Read the score: green was on time, amber was early or late, red was missed or wrong.
    5. Move up a level when your pitch score is 80% or higher. Stay when it is lower.
    Open sight-reading

  • These chords are the harmony under your pieces and Level 5.

    How to
    1. Left-hand block chords only. Hold each chord for 4 slow counts.
    2. In C: C-E-G, C-F-A, B-F-G (G7, root omitted, close position), C-E-G.
    3. Notice only 1-2 fingers move between chords.
    4. When that is easy, do the same in G: G-B-D, G-C-E, F#-C-D, G-B-D.
    5. No right hand yet.

  • One fixed exercise you will see again tomorrow, scored the same way as the other reading.

    How to
    1. This is the same exercise every day. The seed does not change.
    2. Play it with the click. The grade is pitch and timing.
    3. The list under the staff compares this take with the earlier days.
    Learn this piece

  • A held chord lets you listen for settled and tense notes, and nothing you play here is wrong.

    How to
    1. Hold a C chord in the left hand (C-E-G).
    2. Right hand stays on C D E F G. Play any of those notes, one per slow count, and end on C.
    3. Listen for which notes feel settled and which feel tense.
    4. Repeat over F (C-F-A), then over G7 (B-F-G).
    5. There are no wrong notes here.

Extra piano drills

Optional. They do not change today’s count.

  • Five-finger patterns

    C and G, up and down, each hand then together.

    Open

  • Chord progressions

    I–IV–V7–I in C, G, and F, left hand only.

    Open

  • Scales

    C, G, D, and F major, one octave, quarters then eighths.

    Open

  • Ear play-back

    Hear a note or chord, then play it back.

    Open

  • Compose recorder

    Free play over an optional C–F–G7–C loop.

    Open

Phone, 10–15 minutes

Key signatures for C, G, D, F, and B-flat. Ten to fifteen minutes whenever the phone is free.

Phone drills

Key signatures, the order of sharps and flats, and major scales.