Unit 1 — Middle C, D and E
Middle C sits on its own short line between the staves. D and E climb from it, a step at a time. Unit 1 teaches you to find any C from the black keys, number your fingers, and read and play middle C, D and E with the right hand.
Songs in this unit
Middle C sits on its own short line between the staves; D and E climb from it, a step at a time. In Unit 1 you learn to find any C on the keyboard from the black keys, number your fingers 1 to 5, and read middle C, D and E on the treble staff, played with right-hand fingers 1, 2 and 3.
- Prerequisite: none. This is where the path starts.
- New notes: C4 (middle C), D4 and E4, on the treble staff.
- Landmark: middle C.
- Idea: the keyboard.
The new notes
| Note | On the staff | On the keys | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle C (C4) | One short ledger line below the treble staff | Just left of the two black keys nearest the middle | Right thumb, 1 |
| D4 | The space just under the staff, touching the bottom line | Between the two black keys | 2 |
| E4 | The bottom line | Just right of the two black keys | 3 |
From C to D is a step: from the ledger line to the next space, the next white key. From C to E is a skip: line to line, one key missed out.
The sittings, in order
- The keyboard. Black keys in twos and threes; C just left of every two; finger numbers 1 to 5 in each hand. You find three Cs in different places on the keyboard.
- Meet C, D and E. Each note's place on the staff and on the keys, played with its key lit, then a few quick cards.
- Note cards. Read C, D or E and play it. Twelve cards.
- Mix. The same three notes four ways: play it, find it on the staff, name it, and hear which of two notes is higher.
- Read a phrase. Two short pages, left to right, without stopping to name each note.
- Use it: Hot Cross Buns. E D C: your first tune.
- Use it: Au Clair de la Lune. The first line: C C C D E D C E D D C. The same three notes in a new shape.
- Checkpoint. C, D and E mixed: eight cards, a short mix and a phrase. Passing it opens Unit 2.
Each sitting takes three to six minutes.
Teaching notes
- Find C by the black keys, not by counting. Every C is just left of a pair of black keys. Middle C is the one nearest the middle.
- Middle C belongs to both staves. Here you read it under the treble staff; in Unit 3 you meet it again over the bass staff. Same key.
- Say "step" and "skip" from the start. Line to space is a step; line to line is a skip. Unit 6 builds on this.
- Curved fingers. Keep them rounded, as if holding a ball, and play on the fingertips.
Common mistakes
- Reading D as E because D "touches" the bottom line. D hangs under the line; E has the line through its middle.
- Flat fingers. Curve them: flat fingers are slow and weak.
- Counting white keys to find C instead of looking for the pair of black keys.
Related guides
Next: Unit 2 — Up to G. Back to the whole path.