Nathaniel School of Music

The Advanced Tresillo Piano Challenge (Hand Independence and Inversions)

The Tresillo Piano Challenge is an advanced exercise in which you play D minor, G minor (or Gm6), D minor and A7b9 over four cycles: the left hand keeps an oompa pattern, the right hand plays the tresillo rhythm through each D minor inversion, and every A7b9 bar adds a new kind of triplet or three-note grouping.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Advanced · 23 min

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Key points

What this exercise teaches

This lesson from Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music builds several skills at once: chord inversions, hand independence, triplets and one of the most useful left hand patterns in groove-based music. It suits pianists who already know their basic triads and want a serious coordination workout.

The progression is four chords long: D minor, G minor, D minor, A7b9. It is played over four cycles, and each cycle changes the right hand inversion and the run over the last chord.

The chords

Step 1: The left hand oompa pattern

The left hand stays the same for the whole exercise. It is the classic oompa pattern found in Latin, rock and roll and many other groovy styles. The low note is held long (the oom), and the upper chord notes are played short and staccato (the pa).

For D minor, begin with your pinky, middle finger and thumb. When you move to the fifth, lift the middle finger and use your index finger instead. Do the same finger swap on G minor (G Bb D broken). On the A7b9 bar, the left hand simply plays a plain A major chord. Spend time on D minor alone until the pattern runs without thought, and jam a simple melody over it.

Step 2: The right hand tresillo

Over the first three chords, the right hand plays the triad in the tresillo rhythm: three hits spread across the bar. Then the pinky adds the octave and a small arpeggio flourish follows. Move to G minor using the closest inversion. From root position D minor (D F A), that is D G Bb, with E added if you want the Gm6 sound.

The four cycles

  1. Cycle 1: D minor in root position (D F A).
  2. Cycle 2: first inversion (F A D).
  3. Cycle 3: second inversion (A D F). Watch the awkward finger passage here.
  4. Cycle 4: an inversion drop. D minor passes through all three inversions, with the arpeggio placed between them.

In every cycle, G minor takes whichever inversion sits closest.

Step 3: The A7b9 runs

The last chord is where the rhythm opens up. Each run is built on thinking in threes and leads neatly into the next cycle's higher D minor.

How to practise it

You do not need to play everything at once. Simplify the left hand or the right hand whenever you need to, and choose any tempo you like. Start inside your comfort zone, push a little beyond it, and let that become your new comfort zone. If a run is too hard, swap in one of the earlier embellishments. Once you can play the whole exercise, transpose it to a couple of other keys.

Questions about this lesson

What chords are used in the tresillo piano challenge?

The progression is D minor, G minor, D minor and A7b9. G minor is sometimes played as Gm6 (G Bb D E), and the A7b9 is spelled A C# E G Bb.

What does the left hand play in this exercise?

It plays an oompa pattern: a long bass note followed by short, staccato upper chord notes. On the A7b9 bar the left hand simply plays a plain A major chord.

How do the right hand inversions change across the four cycles?

D minor is played in root position in cycle 1, first inversion (F A D) in cycle 2 and second inversion (A D F) in cycle 3. In cycle 4 it passes through all three inversions. G minor always takes the closest inversion.

Can I simplify the exercise if it is too hard?

Yes. You can simplify either hand, play at any tempo, and replace a difficult A7b9 run with one of the easier embellishments from an earlier cycle.

Practise it

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