Chapter 8: Songs in Extended F and G Positions

F Position

The next hand position we’re going to explore is F Position. In the right hand, you’ll rest the thumb on the F above middle C, and the pinkie on the C above middle C, with the other fingers evenly spread out on the keys in between (not forgetting to rest the fourth finger on B♭ , as required in the key of F):

In the left hand, your thumb will go on middle C, and the pinkie on the F below that:

We could play some more tunes which are just contained within this F Position, like we did with the C Position in Chapter 5… but wait! “Been there, done that!” It’s time to move beyond the basic hand position, and extend it so we can access some new notes!

Extending the Basic Five-Finger F Position

One easy way to extend this basic right-hand position, is to extend the thumb down below the starting note. For example, in the F Position the thumb is positioned on F, but you can move it down to E if the song needs you to do so. A similar extension is possible in the left hand. To play the E below the F, simply move finger 5 down one key. Both of these moves are used in our next tune, “Marianne.” Notice that the notes F and E in the melody both have finger number 1 next to them in the right hand, and number 5 in the left hand. As some extra help, the finger numbers have been circled where you have to move them down, “out of position.” Give it a try!

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Did you notice the key signature of F major? If not, and you forgot to play B♭ , it probably sounded a little funny. Now have a listen to track 18 and then play along. Remember those B flats!

G Position

I think you’re getting the hang of this, and probably know how to find this next position already, but here it is. In right-hand G Position, you’ll rest your thumb on the G above middle C, and finger 5 on the D above that. The left hand will have the pinkie on the second G below middle C, and the thumb on the D right above that.

Extending the Basic Five-Finger “G Position”

In order to play our next song, we need to extend this G Position so that the left hand thumb can reach up to E, and the right-hand pinkie can also reach up to E. If we look at the first measure (after the pickup measure), we see that the note D (which we would normally play with the thumb) is immediately before the E. As it is not good practice to use the same finger on two successive notes, we should play the D with the second finger, saving the thumb for the E. In measure 9, beat three we’ll stretch finger 4 of the right hand up to the D in order to place finger 5 on the E. Our first song in the extended G Position is “Michael Row the Boat Ashore.” Practice it slowly at first to get those fingers stretched down. When you think you have it, listen to track 19 and then play along.

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In “Michael Row the Boat Ashore,” notice the key signature of G major (one sharp). You may also notice that there are no F sharps in the song. Although we don’t actually play any F sharps in the melody, the key signature is still needed to establish that the song is in G major. This is a common practice in musical notation—a way to help indicate the “home base” of the song.

Moving Hand Positions While Playing

The next stage beyond simple extensions of hand positions is to change to new hand positions entirely, while playing. This will be needed if the music has a greater range (distance between the highest and lowest notes) than the songs we have seen so far. Our first example of this is the famous Beatles’ song “All My Loving.” Remember playing the scales in Chapter 7? Well, now’s your chance to use the thumb turn and other crossing over of the fingers. The fingering for this song follows the fingering for playing the F major scale. The finger numbers have been circled in the places where you need to turn under or cross over.

All My Loving Words and Music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

The Beatles

This is the first of several Beatles’ songs that we’ll be looking at in this book. Beatles’ songs are fun to play on the piano, as they have great melodies, interesting chord progressions, and they are generally not too difficult to play. Here are ten more Beatles’ songs you should check out. Get the sheet music, check out the recordings, and have fun playing these classics!

• The Fool on the Hill
• For No One
• Here, There and Everywhere
• Hey Jude
• I Will
• Nowhere Man
• We Can Work It Out
• With a Little Help from My Friends
• You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away

Michelle Photo courtesy of Photofest, Inc. The Beatles

When talking about a song like the Beatles’ tune “All My Loving,” it is useful to make use of the measure numbers shown at the beginning of each staff system, from the second line, onward. In the first line, we have a pickup measure (with just two beats) and then four full measures, which are measure numbers 1 through 4. Then the number “5” is shown at the beginning of the second staff system, reminding us that this line begins with the fifth measure of the song. Next, the number “9” is shown at the beginning of the third line, and so on.

The last song in this chapter is the famous folk tune “Shenandoah,” which again requires changes of hand position. The circled finger numbers show places where you need to employ the thumb turn or to cross over a finger. Also be mindful of places where you must stretch your fingers, like the first two notes of the song. Always know what the notes are first (i.e., what the letter names are, and what keys on the keyboard need to be played), and then look to the finger numbers to play the notes with the appropriate fingers. If you rely too much on finger numbers alone, you may find that you’re using the correct finger, but not playing the correct note. For example, if you’re about to play a note, and the number above it is a “2,” don’t just automatically press down finger 2. Your index finger may not be sitting on the correct key at that moment.

Know what note you need first, and then make sure finger 2 moves to that note and plays it. This is one of the main challenges to playing songs in extended hand positions, and especially in performing tunes where the hand positions change. Listen to track 20 and notice the even tempo, without pause. Make sure that when you execute the thumb turns and finger crossings, the music keeps going continuously. Try playing along to help maintain that steady tempo.

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