Piano hand position and finger numbers

A good piano hand position is relaxed and gently curved: fingers bent as if holding a small ball, fingertips on the keys, wrists level with the backs of your hands, and forearms about level with the keyboard. For your first songs, both hands sit in C position, with the right thumb on middle C and the left little finger on the C below it. Getting this right from the start saves you from tension and habits that are hard to undo later.

How to sit

• Center yourself in front of middle C.
• Use the front half of the seat, sitting tall but not stiff, leaning very slightly forward.
• Set the distance so your elbows are a little in front of your body when your fingers rest on the keys. If your elbows press against your sides, move back.
• Set the height so your forearms are about level with the keys. Children usually need a higher seat or a firm cushion.
• Keep your feet flat, on a sturdy box or footstool if they don't reach the floor.
• Let your shoulders drop. Raised shoulders are an early sign of tension.

Finger numbers

Pianists number the fingers of each hand from 1 to 5, starting with the thumb:

• 1: thumb
• 2: index finger
• 3: middle finger
• 4: ring finger
• 5: little finger

The numbers are the same for both hands, so both thumbs are 1 and both little fingers are 5. Beginner music prints these numbers next to the notes, and the lessons on this site use them too. To learn them, hold your hands up with the palms facing away and wiggle each finger as you say its number.

The shape of the hand

Let your arms hang at your sides for a moment. Your fingers curl naturally, and that loose, curved shape is the one to bring to the keys.

• Play near the fingertips, on the pad just behind the nail, not the flat of the finger.
• Play with the side of the thumb, at the corner of its tip.
• Keep the knuckles arched: the big knuckles where your fingers join the hand form a gentle arch.
• Keep the wrist level with the back of your hand and your forearm, neither sagging nor arched high.
• Use only the force you need. Press the key down, then let the finger rest on it without squeezing.

C position for each hand

In C position, each finger sits over its own key, so you can play five notes without moving your hand.

Both hands cover the same letters, C to G, one octave apart, but the finger numbers run in opposite directions because the hands are mirror images. Only finger 3 plays the same letter in both hands: E. The five keys lit on the keyboard on this page are the right hand's C position, C4 to G4.

First five-finger exercises

Play each exercise slowly, one note per count, with the unused fingers resting lightly on their keys.

1. Up and down. Right hand: C D E F G F E D C with fingers 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1. Left hand: the same notes with 5 4 3 2 1 2 3 4 5. Make every note equally loud.
2. Skips. Right hand: C E, D F, E G with fingers 1 3, 2 4, 3 5, then back down: G E, F D, E C.
3. Mirror. Both hands at once with matching fingers: both thumbs (left G, right C), both 2s (left F, right D), and so on out to both 5s (left C, right G). The hands move apart but the fingers match, which makes this the easiest way to start with both hands.
4. Parallel. Both hands play C together, then D, E, F and G. It's harder, because the left hand uses 5 4 3 2 1 while the right uses 1 2 3 4 5.
5. Finger lifts. With all five fingers on their keys, play one key four times while the others stay still, then move to the next finger. The ring finger is usually the hardest to lift alone, which is normal.

Practicing on this site

Click or tap the lit keys on the keyboard on this page and say each finger number as you hear the note. On a touch screen you can press several keys at once, and your computer keys play it too: set Labels to Computer keys to see which letter plays each note. For real finger practice, a MIDI keyboard plugged into your computer plays the full piano in Chrome, Edge, Opera or Firefox.

Next lesson

With both hands in C position, you already have every note you need for your first song: Mary Had a Little Lamb, then Ode to Joy, with a finger number for every note.