Knowing Right and Left on the Piano

It is very hard to train your mind to get used to ‘right’ and ‘left’ on the piano. It is important that early on, the individual is easily able to decipher the difference. One of the most common things that happens with this is in young children.

When starting out, just knowing the difference between your right and left hand can be a hassle. Once this sense of unknowing is broken, it can open up a students mind to build confidence in playing at ease with both hands simultaneously.
A fellow teacher was kind enough to share an exercise with me to help my younger students in knowing how to associate their right hand with the treble clef, and their left hand with the bass clef.


Materials: Red felt tip marker



Procedure:

1. On the back of the student’s right hand, draw a large capital “R with the red

Pen.

2. The student puts out both arms straight in front at eye level. The back of both

hands should be facing the patient with fingers pointing up.

3. Starting on the right hand, the student should look back and forth at each

hand counting from one and stopping on nine.

4. Student lowers the left arm, and while continuing to stare at the red letter R

Says, “This is my right hand.”

5. This ten‐second procedure should be repeated frequently throughout the day

in exactly the same sequence.

6. After several days/weeks, the red letter can be removed, but continue the

procedure in the same way with the same frequency throughout the day. If

there is any hesitation or confusion, the red letter should be reintroduced.

7. If the student is left handed, the procedure can be done with a letter L on the

left hand and the exercise started with the left side instead of the right.

This is a particularly good exercise for piano students where left and right hand

identification is key to reading on the grand staff.