Piano in a Flash | Piano warm-up exercises for beginners

Piano warm-up exercises for beginners

By Scott Houston

A huge tenet of my piano method for adults is that you don’t need to memorize dozens and dozens of chords, do mindless drills, etc. to become a good piano player who has a ball playing. I want people to have FUN learning. However, over the years a lot of my students have asked, “What’s the best way to ‘warm up’ before diving into your lessons?”

With that, I created my “Take 5” piano warm-up videos. They’re under 10 minutes long and can be used as great finger aerobics to do as a practice routine before your playing sessions or lessons. Keep reading to find some of my favorites and start practicing with me.

Before we get into the finger exercises though, it’s important to remember that just like with any other muscle in your body that is suddenly getting worked more than usual—you will feel pretty clumsy, and yes, even sore, at first. It’s normal, but can be uncomfortable.

In addition to my Take 5 exercises below, I have found these exercises from WebMD to be helpful for people suffering from persistent soreness. Please check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise. Now, let’s get started increasing your hand agility and finger dexterity.

Exercise #1

The first exercise is a very simple up and down pattern using just the white notes. Here is the sequence:

Start with middle C, using the thumb of your right hand. On your left hand, find the C note one octave lower with your pinky.
Once your fingers are in formation, simply move your fingers up the white keys through G, and then back down to C.

Once you have the sequence down, we will run through it at a few different speeds for a total of five minutes. I recommend using a metronome if you have one.
Quarter notes: The first speed we will play is a note for every tick of the metronome. Play the pattern once through.
Eighth notes: After you’ve played the quarter note pattern once through, double the speed. Play the pattern twice through.
Sixteenth notes: Double the speed of the quarter note pattern to play your sixteenth notes pattern. Play this four times then repeat the entire process for five minutes before you start playing tunes.

Follow along with the video here:

Exercise #2

Another five-finger pattern, this one is slightly more challenging but super effective for your thumbs especially.

Start by finding C sharp with the middle finger of your left hand. On your right hand, find the same note (only one octave higher) with your index finger.
Next, move up to the next black note on both hands. On this note, you will now be using your index finger on your left, and your middle finger on your right.
Now find the F note with your thumbs. On your left hand, this will be easy because the note comes right up. On your right hand, you will need to cross the thumb under to reach the note.
Now, starting with the same two fingers you used at the beginning (left-hand middle, right-hand index) find the next black note.
Then, move up to the next black note, using your left-hand index and right-hand middle.
To end the pattern, reverse the direction and move back down the keyboard to find your original starting position. Voila!

Practice that pattern a few times, then set your timer for five minutes—it’s time to speed it up! Again you will play the quarter notes once, the eighth notes twice, then the sixteenth notes four times, then repeat until the timer is up. Feel free to keep practicing at a slow tempo until you feel comfortable. Follow along with the video here:

Exercise #3

For this five-finger pattern, we’re going to work our way up the keyboard starting on a D note.

Find your D note with your left-hand pinky finger, then move up one octave to find the next D note with your right-hand thumb.
Then simply move up the keyboard with both hands to play E, F sharp, D, then A.
To end the pattern, reverse your direction and move back down the keyboard to find your original starting position.

Again, you will play this pattern for five minutes in the three different tempos described above. This pattern is relatively simple because it lends itself to the shape of the human hand—note how we use our longest finger to play that black note in the middle of the pattern. For that reason, you shouldn’t have to strain as much. Follow along with the video here:

Are these exercises a little repetitive and boring? Absolutely. Is it really “making music”? Not in my view, no. However, doing these practice session exercises for just five minutes a day does wonders for your muscle memory and will allow you to actually focus on having fun learning a tune without being bogged down by coordination issues. After warming up your fingers, you’ll be able to access the fun stuff like learning chords, licks, and basslines much easier.

What's next

I have a whole series with over 30 videos of these types of exercises on my YouTube channel that anyone can access for free. They are not by any means piano lessons that will help you actually learn to play, but they are great finger aerobics! If you’re interested in actually learning to play with me, I’d love for you to learn more about how my online method for adults works by joining me for a free online piano intro course! Click the button below to learn more and sign up. It only takes about 45 minutes, and in that time, I’ll teach you your first tune. Hope to see you soon.