Nathaniel School of Music

The Daily Piano Scale and Chord Exercise (Up and Down)

Play the G major scale up and the G major chord down from the octave, then the scale down and the chord up, fitting the seven scale notes into eight eighth-note slots by lengthening one note while the chord falls on the four downbeats.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Beginner · 15 min

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Key points

What this exercise teaches

This daily routine from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music combines a major scale with its triad in one continuous pattern. It is aimed at beginners who already know the G major scale, or are learning it, and want to build finger evenness, get the triad into their hands and tighten their timing all at once.

Every triad lives inside a scale. In G major the seven triads are G major, A minor, B minor, C major, D major, E minor and F# diminished, each built from a root, a third and a fifth. This exercise focuses on the first one, the G major triad, and moves between stepwise motion (the scale) and leaps (the chord).

The notes

The pattern

  1. Up the scale: play G A B C D E F# going up.
  2. Down the chord: starting from the octave G, play G D B G going down.
  3. Down the scale: from the octave G, play G F# E D C B A.
  4. Up the chord: play G B D G going up.

Fingering and posture

You have five fingers but eight notes to cover, so the thumb must cross under. Going up the scale, cross the thumb under after B, the third note. Going down the chord, use pinky, middle, index and thumb. Keep your elbows still and avoid moving the whole hand; the crossing is a small movement of the thumb with barely any wrist motion. Extra movement costs control and can upset your timing, especially when starting out.

The rhythm

Count an eighth-note grid: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. The numbers are the on-beats and the ands are the off-beats, which feel different.

For example, hold the root G for 1 and, then play A on 2, B on and, C on 3, D on and, E on 4 and F# on and. Then the chord lands on 1, 2, 3, 4. On the way down, the octave G played by the pinky is the long note.

Moving the long note through the scale

Once the root version is comfortable, lengthen the second note instead, then the third, and so on up to the seventh. To know which note is long on the way down, use a simple trick: subtract the ascending scale degree from nine.

Each placement gives the exercise a different musical feel, so try them all and notice which you like best.

Adding the left hand

With the left hand, play a steady quarter-note pulse on G, counting 1 2 3 4. You can also alternate or combine the root and its octave in the left hand.

How to practise

Knowing the terms quarter note and eighth note matters less than being able to play and feel the pattern. A follow-up lesson takes the exercise to a more advanced level.

Questions about this lesson

Why is one scale note held longer in this exercise?

The major scale has seven notes but a bar of eighth notes has eight slots. Holding one note for two counts fills the bar so the chord can start cleanly on the next downbeat.

Which note is long on the way down?

Subtract the long ascending scale degree from nine. If the 2nd (A) is long going up, the 7th (F#) is long coming down; if the 3rd (B) is long going up, the 6th (E) is long coming down.

What fingering should I use for the G major scale and chord?

Going up the scale, cross the thumb under after B, the third note. Going down the chord from the octave G, use pinky, middle, index and thumb.

What should the left hand do?

Play a steady quarter-note pulse on the root G, counting 1 2 3 4. You can also use the root and its octave in the left hand.

Practise it

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