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C position: where your hands go
All of our free piano pieces are written in C major (or A minor) and start from C position: the right thumb on middle C and one finger on each white key up to G. Here is how to find it, how it looks on the keyboard and on the music, and which pieces to play first.
1. Find middle C
Middle C is the C nearest the middle of the keyboard, usually right below the piano’s name. The black keys come in groups of two and three: find the group of two black keys closest to the middle, and middle C is the white key just to the left of them.
On a small keyboard with 61 keys it is the third C from the left.
2. Right thumb on middle C
Right hand: thumb (1) on middle C, then one finger on each white key going up: D (2), E (3), F (4), G (5).
Left hand: an octave lower, little finger (5) on the C below middle C, then D (4), E (3), F (2) and G (1). It plays chords from Level 2; in Level 1 it rests in your lap.
Curve the fingers a little, as if holding a ball.
C position on the keyboard
Both hands in C position: the left hand on the C below middle C up to G, the right hand on middle C up to G. The numbers under the keys are the fingers: 1 is the thumb, 2 the pointer finger, 3 the middle finger, 4 the ring finger and 5 the little finger. Hear it plays the notes from the bottom up.
C – D – E – F – G – C – D – E – F – G
How the notes look on the music
The right hand reads the treble staff. Its five notes sit at the bottom of it: middle C on a short line of its own just below the staff (a ledger line), D just under the bottom line, E on the bottom line, F in the first space and G on the second line. In Level 1 every note also has its finger number above it and its letter name underneath.
From Level 2 the left hand reads the bass staff underneath. Its C, E and G are the second, third and top spaces, so the C chord is three notes stacked in the spaces, and the F and G chords are rearranged so the hand hardly moves.
Why everything is in C major
C major has no sharps or flats, so every note is a white key and the tune sits around the five keys under your right hand. Tunes that were written in other keys have been moved into C major: they sound the same, just a little higher or lower. The minor-key tunes are in A minor, which also has no sharps or flats in the key signature.
The six levels
C – D – E – F – G
- Level 1: Right hand, C to G (10 pieces). the right hand alone in C position, thumb on middle C and one finger on each white key up to G. Every tune is in C major and stays on those five notes. One line of music on the treble staff, with a finger number and a letter name on every note. Start with Au Clair de la Lune, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Mary Had a Little Lamb.
- Level 2: Left-hand chords (16 pieces). the left hand joins in with chords on the bass staff, little finger on the C below middle C: C, F and G. The tune still sits in C position, and the right little finger stretches one key up to A. Start with Alle meine Entchen, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, This Old Man.
- Level 3: Notes below middle C (82 pieces). the tune goes down below middle C to B, A and G, so the right hand reaches or shifts down and comes back to C position. Still C major, still the same three chords in the left hand. Start with Bingo, Old Hundredth, Red River Valley.
- Level 4: Up to the C above (34 pieces). the tune climbs past G to A, B and the C above middle C, so the right hand moves up and back. All white keys, all in C major (or A minor). Start with Jesus Loves Me, Sakura Sakura, Can-Can (Orpheus in the Underworld).
- Level 5: A wider range (30 pieces). still only white keys, but the tune covers more than an octave, so the hand moves further and more often. Start with She’ll Be Coming ’Round the Mountain, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, Brisbane Ladies.
- Level 6: Moving on (29 pieces). sharps and flats appear in the tune, the pieces run longer, and the left hand becomes a real second part. Still written in C major or A minor. Start with The “Surprise” Symphony, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Scarborough Fair.
The chords page has the shapes the left hand plays.
Questions and answers
What is C position on the piano?
Where is middle C?
Why is every piece in C major?
What does the left hand do?
What if a note is outside C position?
Is C position the same as middle C position?
Start with Level 1: the right hand, C to G → · All 201 pieces: piano sheet music for kids
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The piano books we use
We bought every one of these ourselves. Kenneth Baker wrote two versions of his course: The Complete Piano Player for a piano or digital piano, and The Complete Keyboard Player for a home keyboard with automatic accompaniment. Pick the one that matches what you play on. Outside Australia? Each book also has an eBay link to a new copy from a seller that posts internationally.
These are affiliate links. The Amazon.com.au links are marked “(paid link)”: as an Amazon Associate, Digital Greenhouse earns from qualifying purchases. The eBay links are marked “(paid link — eBay)”: through the eBay Partner Network, we may be paid if you buy through one. You pay the same price either way.
Learning on a piano or digital piano
The Complete Piano Player is a five-book course for beginners: it starts with your thumb on middle C and teaches reading music through popular songs.
Learning on a home keyboard
The Complete Keyboard Player is the same course written for keyboards with automatic accompaniment, like a 61-key Yamaha or Casio: your right hand plays the tune and your left hand sets off the chords and the backing.