How to Play a C Scale on the Piano

Series Summary

The piano has been a very important instrument in the development of western music of almost every genre. Its popularity with composers rests in the fact that the tones made by its keys offer an easy means of expressing a complex melodic and harmonic relationship of notes. Each year, many people young and old alike take up piano, and many of those will seek out an instructor to tutor them in their playing ability. Lessons can get costly and may be unnecessary for those with an understanding of the basics theories and techniques of playing the piano.

In this series of free video lessons you’ll learn tips on how to play major and minor keys and chords, the major and minor scales, sharps and flats, and learn how to play multiple melodies simultaneously. Expert Dani Rhodes will demonstrate advanced pedal techniques and finger warm-ups as well that will help you develop and refine your piano playing skills.

Video Transcript

"Hi! I’m Dani Rhodes and you can find me on the web at youtube.com/danirhodes and thank you expertvillage.com. We are going to be showing you some advanced piano techniques. Let us start with a C scale. We will start on middle C and we place our fingers, now, the thing is we want to get all the way up to the next C, and actually we are going to take two octaves up. So what we are going to do, and then what, do we flip our fingers or how do we get all the way up here. Well, there is a technique to this and there is a certain fingering with your right hand, one, two, three, four, five, take your first finger, one, two, three, put your thumb under again, …you go up your fourth finger, put your thumb under again, three, thumb under, finish at your court that's your scale. Now you’re going to go ahead back down the scale and now this is a little different, five, four, three, two, one, you do all of your fingers, take your third finger, you come over, fourth finger over, third finger, finish out your scales, all you have to see is you end up with the right number of fingers every time. Left hand on C… all fingers then flip over your third or second reverse, three, two, one, four, three, two, one, three, two, one, come back down, one, two, three, thumb under, one, two, thumb under, three, finish out your scale."