Extending the Basic Five-Finger “G Position”

In order to play our next song, we need to extend this G Position so that the left hand thumb can reach up to E, and the right-hand pinkie can also reach up to E. If we look at the first measure (after the pickup measure), we see that the note D (which we would normally play with the thumb) is immediately before the E. As it is not good practice to use the same finger on two successive notes, we should play the D with the second finger, saving the thumb for the E. In measure 9, beat three we’ll stretch finger 4 of the right hand up to the D in order to place finger 5 on the E. Our first song in the extended G Position is “Michael Row the Boat Ashore.” Practice it slowly at first to get those fingers stretched down. When you think you have it, listen to track 19 and then play along.

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In “Michael Row the Boat Ashore,” notice the key signature of G major (one sharp). You may also notice that there are no F sharps in the song. Although we don’t actually play any F sharps in the melody, the key signature is still needed to establish that the song is in G major. This is a common practice in musical notation—a way to help indicate the “home base” of the song.