One Finger Johnny

One Finger Johnny was an actual kid I taught, and he preferred the index finger above all others. He was a very smart 9 year-old boy. He was very enthusiastic about learning Fur Elise, a song by Beethoven. So we started to learn it, despite his lack of the fingering skill that the song requires.

My piano teacher's instinct was to let him try it without fingering at first. He got the idea of how it looked on the keyboard. Later we attempted to apply fingering.

Add Fingering Later

He readily understood the rather complicated pattern of notes, and got it in a few tries. It was then that I tried fingering. I instructed him how to use certain fingers for certain notes, and took small three or four note bits so it would be easy to understand.

Examine The Child's Reaction

But it wasn't easy for him to understand. He had no experience (or just one lesson's worth) with his fingers, and was at a complete loss remembering which finger to use where. For a moment, my mind was becoming impatient with the boy, thinking, "But this is so easy." But it was not easy for this boy, and his point of view was all that mattered.

The Path Of Least Resistance

I watched his face as he tried. He was trying very hard, and he wasn't being lazy or inattentive at all. In fact he had a wonderful attitude, sunny and unconcerned. As I tried to push the fingering on him gently, I watched him get frustrated for a second.

It was then I realized that he was doing his best, and if I wanted him to enjoy Fur Elise on this day, fingering was going to have to take a back seat. He could fail at fingering Fur Elise because of lack of preparation in fingering, or play it with one finger and enjoy it.

Finger Organization Games

Guess what we did? We played Fur Elise joyously with one finger for ten minutes, and then I quickly changed the subject to finger organization games. I did this to start giving him training in "fingerology" which had nothing to do with the song.

Eventually, the fingering games will lead to a greater awareness on his part of his fingers and that is the first step in being able to negotiate a song like Fur Elise. The advantage of having him learn Fur Elise in this simplified form is his enthusiasm for the song. I guarantee you this kid will play it with fingering, if not next week, then the next.

But I didn't kill his enthusiasm to be a "good teacher." A child's enthusiasm is always more important than your curriculum. 

REFERENCES

Fingering

What Is Fingering?

Piano Fingering Diagram

Developing Children’s Piano Finger Instincts

Exploring Fingering

Kid’s Finger Olympics

Finger Organization Games

When Is Fingering Necessary?

Piano Fingering for Kids

Children’s Piano Fingering Strategy

Piano Fingering for Preschool Kids

Kid’s Piano Fingering 101

Make Piano Fingering Logical

Piano Fingering for the Very Young

Piano Finger Numbers Worksheet

Fingering and Familiar Songs