Fingering facts for kids
When you play a musical instrument, fingering means choosing which finger to use for each note. It's like deciding which finger goes where on the keys, strings, or holes. Finding a good fingering is very important when you learn a new song. Once you find a good way, it's best to always use it. This helps your fingers remember where to go, making your playing smoother.
Sometimes, printed music has finger numbers above the notes. This can be helpful, but you don't always have to use them. Everyone's hands are different, so what works for one person might not work for another.
Contents
Fingering on Keyboard Instruments
When you play instruments like the piano or keyboard, your fingers are numbered 1 to 5 on each hand. Your thumb is 1, your index finger is 2, your middle finger is 3, your ring finger is 4, and your little finger is 5.
Long ago, in the 1800s, people in Britain used a different system. The thumb was a cross (+), and fingers were 1 to 4. This was called "English fingering." The 1 to 5 system was called "Continental fingering." But since the early 1900s, almost everyone uses the 1 to 5 system.
Ideas about fingering have changed over time. In the Baroque period (1600s and early 1700s), some French composers wrote music for the harpsichord. They often had players use fingers 2 and 3 over and over for scales. This made the notes sound grouped together. Later, this style became less popular. In the early 1800s, a composer named Carl Czerny wrote many studies for the piano. These studies helped all fingers get equally strong. This is how many people still learn piano today.
Fingering for the organ is much like piano fingering. However, organ players often use "finger substitution." This means they change to a different finger while holding a note down. This helps make the music sound smooth, especially in songs with many chords. A piano player can use the foot pedal to make chords smooth.
Organ players also use their feet on the pedals. This is called "footing." A "v" sign means use your toe, and a square "u" sign means use your heel. If the sign is above the note, use your right foot. If it's below, use your left foot.
Fingering on String Instruments
On string instruments like the violin or guitar, fingering shows you where to place your hand on the neck. Your fingers are numbered 1 to 4 because your thumb is behind the neck. The number 0 means you play an open string, without using any fingers. Only your left hand fingers the notes. Your right hand either plucks the strings or uses a bow.
Bowed instruments like the violin don't have markings on the fingerboard. So, players must learn the exact spot to put their fingers. If they don't, the music won't sound in tune. Plucked instruments like guitars and banjos have frets. These are small bumps on the fingerboard that show you where to place your fingers.
Sometimes, the music will also tell you which string to play on. A song could be played on a D string on the violin in a lower position. Or, it could be played on the G string in a higher position. Playing in a higher position is harder. But a good player can make the sound very warm and beautiful. Sometimes, notes can be played as harmonics. This makes them sound very light and airy.
Cellists can also use "thumb position." This is for high notes that are close together. It means placing the thumb high on the fingerboard, often across two strings.
The double bass is very big, so the spaces between notes are also big. To play notes that are a semitone apart, players often use finger 1, then 2, then 4. Finger 3 helps finger 4 press down. A few players use fingers 1, 2, 3, 4. This means they have to stretch their hand a lot. It can be hard to play in tune this way, but it means they don't have to move their hand position as much.
Harp Fingering
Harp music looks similar to piano music. It has two staves, one for the right hand and one for the left. Some piano music can be played on the harp, but the piano fingering won't work.
On a piano, moving from your thumb to your little finger means going to higher notes with your right hand. It means going to lower notes with your left hand. On the harp, it's the opposite. The harp player sits with the high notes closest to their body. The thumb is 1, and the fingers are 2, 3, and 4. The little finger is not used when playing the harp.
Woodwind Fingering
For woodwind instruments, there's usually one main fingering for each note. This means a specific combination of fingers for each sound. But for more advanced players, different fingerings can be used to create special sounds or effects. Beginner books often have a fingering chart. This chart shows you how to get all the different notes. For example, a low F sharp on a recorder might be fingered 1 2 3 0 2 3. This means fingers 1, 2, and 3 of your left hand, and fingers 2 and 3 of your right hand. The first hole for the right hand is left open.
On the recorder, some notes, especially sharps and flats, have tricky fingerings. This is called "cross fingering." Instruments like the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon have metal keys. These keys help players reach low holes and make it easier to play sharps and flats. The system for these keys was invented in the 1800s by Theobald Böhm.
Sometimes, there's an "alternative fingering" for certain notes. This can make it easier to play fast trills (a quick back-and-forth between two notes). However, the usual fingering will sound better for normal notes.
Using Good Fingering
Good fingering helps you play without moving your hand more than you need to. It also helps the music sound great. For example, it helps make smooth tunes sound legato (connected). It also helps fast, repeated notes sound clear.
