Finger mapping of the keyboard encourages development of music theory and independence of fingers. A maze of black and white notes to beginners, EN Music Studio’s piano lessons aim to help students recognize patterns on the keyboard in a meaningful way.
Visual mapping refers to the ability to have in our memory where a particular note is on the keyboard. Sometimes, you see piano players playing with their eyes closed. They know where the notes are just by touch!
What We See?
In basic terms, a diatonic scale can be broken down into 12 semitones, or half steps. That’s the distance from one key, to it’s immediate next white or black key. This distance is equal in between each key. This is the tricky part!; visually, some people feel like it does not appear equal. You can tell that the distance is equal by the pitches heard when playing them. Every 12 semitones, you can see that the pattern of black and white notes visually repeat. The notes are also correspond, however at an octave higher or lower.
What We Feel?
Lost? This is a common feeling among piano beginners. Not only is this visually and audibly confusing to begin with, most students launch right into looking at written music too. The result is a struggle to coordinate our eyes, our ears, and our fingers.
Finger Mapping
This is why finger mapping is an important part of learning how to play piano. If the piano player has a strong ability to recognize where notes are on the keyboard by touch, they are able to focus their attention in other places.
This encourages creativity in our improvisation sessions, as students are able to recall the note they want, when they want to. With increased finger mapping, students will be able to plan phrases ahead of time in their head, and then execute it.
This also encourages written music or classic music practice. With less attention devoted to finding the right note, students are able to see larger patterns in phrases, and see smaller details like dynamics and articulation