Long Notes and Phrasing (Right Hand)

Whole notes, half notes and quarters in one line. Patience training.

Level:
2 of 6
Hands:
Right hand
Key:
C major
Notes:
9
Range:
C4 to C5
One run:
about 16 seconds at 80 bpm

The notes, in order

9 notes, one at a time.

  1. C4
  2. E4
  3. G4
  4. C5
  5. G4
  6. F4
  7. E4
  8. D4
  9. C4

How to practise it

  1. Hold every long note for its full length, do not cut it short
  2. A whole note lasts four beats, a half note two
  3. Let the sound decay naturally before the next note arrives

The scale behind it

This one is built on the C Major scale: C D E F G A B (no sharps or flats). Its right-hand fingering runs 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5, and the scale page has the full diagram if you want to hear the shape on its own first.

How to play it here

Play along on the keys with your mouse, your computer keyboard, a touch screen, or a MIDI keyboard you have plugged in. Every key can show its own name, and the metronome will hold the tempo while you work through the 9 notes.

What it trains

  • rhythm
  • counting
  • legato

More rhythm

Subdivision and steady time, which is the skill people skip and then cannot hide.

All piano exercises