Hand independence
GUIDE
Tap it first
On guitar, your strumming hand keeps time. On piano, the left hand usually does that job. These drills retrain that habit. Each one is a little harder than the one before.
Before each drill, tap it on a table. Your left hand taps the bottom stave, and your right hand taps the top. Count out loud: “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”.
Exercises
- EXERCISE 1Hold and move
The left hand holds one long note while the right hand walks.
- EXERCISE 2Steady left hand
Now swap jobs. The left hand keeps the beat while the right hand holds.
- EXERCISE 3Two against one
The right hand plays twice for every left-hand note.
- EXERCISE 4Take turns
The hands never play at the same time. The left hand plays on beats 1 and 3, and the right hand on beats 2 and 4.
- EXERCISE 5Off-beats
The right hand plays only between the beats. This is the hardest drill for most guitarists.
- EXERCISE 6Melody over broken chords
This drill combines the earlier ones. The left hand plays a rolling pattern while the right hand plays a short tune.