Difficulty in forming chords with young students
Found in: Musicality, Pedaling, Technique
Marsha L., Virginia
I just started Simply Music with my 6-year-old son. 5 steps of sound and making a chord was extremely difficult for him. I have taught a couple of young students before, but my previous method didn’t have them playing chords for a year or more. I would love to hear your tips for helping those young students make chords. I’m thinking ahead to all the chord songs and wondering, how?
Cate R., Australia
For a six-year-old, it’s probably too much to play chords from the basics. Get them doing all the basics first, then getting fingers 5 over 5 notes and play the outside ones, then once they have mastered that I’d add in the middle note.
Ian M., Indiana
Let him come along at his own pace. There’s a natural range of physical development that’s normal for someone that age, and your son definitely falls into it.
Here are two ideas for you, one theoretical and one practical:
- Very often, kids will improve rapidly by simply putting their attention on what you want them to do. Give him some time at the piano to work on doing the tasks that “the basics” set forth.
- Often, though not always, you can jump start the task of making a chord by placing your hand over the child’s hand. Tell him “just relax your hand – you don’t do anything, I’m going to play” (“You’re my puppet” sometimes works as well for helping them understand what’s expected.) Then you press down fingers 1, 3, and 5 (over his fingers 1, 3, and 5). Hold them down and say “this is what it feels like”. I’ve seen kids go from completely at a loss for how to make this happen to being in complete command of making a chord in seconds with this technique.
Eric R., California
You could try just having them do open fifths with pinky and thumb. Also you could just have them do the root and third (thumb and middle finger.