Piano finger numbers and hand position
The small numbers above or below the notes in beginner piano music are finger numbers: they indicate which finger to use, not which key to press. Your thumb is labeled 1, your index finger is 2, your middle finger is 3, your ring finger is 4, and your pinky is 5. The numbering works the same way on both hands.
Where you’ll find them
In most music books, numbers for the right hand are placed above the treble staff and those for the left hand below the bass staff, though layout depends on available space. Beginner books often put a number on almost every note. For more advanced pieces, only key points like the start of a section or when your hand changes position get marked. If a note has no number, you continue from the last one that was marked. Very old British editions used a cross for the thumb and numbers 1 to 4 for the fingers, making secondhand books look confusing at first glance.
The mirror problem
This is the part that trips up many new players. Your hands are opposites of each other, so the same number points in reverse directions. Place your right thumb on middle C; then your fingers will be over C, D, E, F, and G, so 1 to 5 goes up the keyboard. With your left hand, start by putting your pinky on the C an octave lower; here, going up means starting with 5 and ending at 1, with the thumb landing on G.
So when both hands move the same finger at once, they go in opposite directions. Playing identical notes in both hands seems easier, but it requires different fingers (right 1 and left 5 on C). If practicing together feels like your brain is battling itself, that’s usually why. Try slowing down and saying the numbers for one hand out loud while you play.
Five-finger position
Most beginner pieces keep your hand in one spot, with a finger on each of five white keys next to each other. That’s called a five-finger position, and C position is usually the first one taught. Other positions move this shape across the keyboard; in G position the right thumb starts on G. Staying in a single position helps you avoid searching for notes. Once your hand is placed, all you need to focus on are the numbers, and you can keep your eyes on the music page.
How to hold your hand
Curve your fingers as if holding a small ball, playing near the tips on the fleshy pads instead of the flat part of the finger. The thumb is different; play on its outer corner by the nail. Keep your wrist at about the same height as the keyboard, neither too low nor arched up high, and let it be relaxed. Short fingernails are surprisingly helpful.
Two habits cause most of the trouble. One involves the collapsing fingertip, where the joint near the nail caves in each time you press; this is quite common and improves as your fingers get stronger, so for now just apply a bit less pressure. The other habit is a stiff pinky that sticks up while the other fingers are playing; let it rest close to its key instead.
When the fingers run out
Five fingers can only play five keys, so when you need to play longer melodies, you have to find ways to move your hand smoothly without jumping. There are two main methods: the thumb slides under the other fingers, or a finger reaches over it. Take a one-octave C major scale. With the right hand, after playing C with 1, D with 2, and E with 3, you pass the thumb under to play F, then finish with G, A, B, and C using 2, 3, 4, and 5. For the left hand going up, it works in reverse: C through G takes fingers 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, the third finger then crosses over the thumb to reach A, and B and C get 2 and 1. That’s why it’s important to follow printed fingering closely. Stick to one fingering for a passage each time, so your hand can get used to moving that way.
A drill to start with
Away from the piano, place both hands on a table; read a random list of numbers, and raise the corresponding finger for each one. At the keyboard, put one hand in C position and play 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 slowly without peeking, then do the same with the other hand. Next, shuffle the order (try 1 3 2 4 3 5). You aim to have the number and finger link up naturally, and this connection also helps make reading music faster later on.
Keystair’s free first stage starts with a drill like this: a finger number is shown, you press the key under that finger in C position on your own piano, and the program verifies the note you played.