How to Creatively Practise Finger Crossovers for Piano Scales (The Pendulum)
The Pendulum is a piano exercise where your thumb anchors on the root of a scale and your fingers swing one, two, three, then four notes above and below it, training thumb-under and finger-over crossovers while teaching you to hear the scale on both sides of the root.
Key points
- Ascending, the thumb passes under the fingers. Descending, the fingers pass over the thumb.
- Keep the elbow still and close to the body. The forearm does the sweeping.
- Anchor the thumb on the root and swing one, two, three, then four notes above and below it.
- Cross the middle finger rather than the ring finger when descending.
- Repeat the exercise in the harmonic minor, then try uneven patterns like two up, one down.
What this lesson teaches
Crossing over is essential on the piano because the keyboard is a single line of notes. A guitarist who runs out of fingers can move to the next string, but a pianist has nowhere else to go, so the thumb must pass under the fingers, or the fingers over the thumb. In this lesson, part two of a three-part series on creative scale practice, Jason Zac teaches an exercise he calls the Pendulum. It suits beginners building technique and experienced players who want fresh ways to explore a scale.
Step 1: Get used to the crossing motion
Before playing any pattern, practise the movement itself:
- Ascending: the thumb slides under the fingers, and the wrist pushes the rest of the hand along.
- Descending: the other fingers pass over the thumb.
- Keep the elbow still. Moving it does not help. Keep it close to your body and let the forearm sweep across the keys.
Step 2: The Pendulum in E major
The lesson uses the E major scale: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#. Your thumb anchors on the root, E, and the fingers swing above and below it like a pendulum.
One up, one down
Play E, F#, E, D#, then back to E. Use your index finger for both F# and D#. Other fingers are possible, but the index is recommended here. Repeat it steadily and speed it up when it feels comfortable.
Two up, two down
Play E, F#, G#, back to E, then D#, C#, D#, E. Going down, you can cross the middle finger over to D# and let the index take C#. This can crowd the thumb and strain the hand. If it does, lift the thumb away and bring it back. You can also play index on D#, then the thumb on C#. Practise both fingerings.
Three up, three down
Rise from E to A, return to the root, then descend through D#, C# and B before climbing back to E. The pinky is the last finger available going up. Coming down, cross the middle finger rather than the ring finger, which feels awkward. Because you run out of fingers, the thumb has to come back in before returning to the root. Each phrase has six notes, so it feels like triplets or 6/8. Count in threes rather than fours.
Four up, four down
Rise from E to B, then descend from the root through D#, C#, B and A. You may be tempted to cross the ring finger, but you can cross the middle finger again instead. There is more crossing here, so go slowly. This pattern fits naturally as sixteenth notes, counting 1 e and a. One up, one down and two up, two down can be felt as eighths or sixteenths.
Step 3: Try the minor scale
Sometimes minor scales get forgotten in practice, so repeat the whole procedure in E harmonic minor: E, F#, G, A, B, C, D#. Every scale brings new challenges, but the idea stays the same. The thumb anchors and the fingers float on either side of it.
Why it matters
Practising scales only upward from the root trains you to think nothing exists below it. The Pendulum trains your ear and mind to react to notes on both sides of the root, which Jason calls the positive and negative Y axis. A melody can go below the root, above it, or skip octaves.
Step 4: Break the symmetry
Once the major and minor versions are comfortable, mix things up:
- two up, one down
- one up, two down
- three up, two down
- three up, one down
Change the rhythm as well. This is where the exercise becomes creative, and you may find a melody or song idea of your own along the way.
Questions about this lesson
What is the Pendulum piano exercise?
Your thumb stays on the root of a scale while your fingers swing to notes above and below it, one step each way at first and then up to four. It trains finger crossovers and helps you hear the scale on both sides of the root.
Which finger should cross over the thumb when descending?
The lesson recommends crossing the middle finger, because crossing the ring finger feels awkward. When you run out of fingers, bring the thumb back in before returning to the root.
Should my elbow move when crossing fingers on piano?
No. Keep the elbow still and close to your body, and let your forearm and wrist carry the hand across the keys.
How should I count the Pendulum patterns?
Three up, three down makes six-note groups, so it feels like triplets or 6/8. Four up, four down fits sixteenth notes. The shorter patterns work as eighths or sixteenths.
Practise it
- PendulumExplore accents, subdivisions, scale patterns and chord movement with Western, Hindustani or Carnatic note names.
- Solfa StudioPractise scales, solfège and swaras with visual and musical context.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- How to Practise Piano Scales With Creativity: The Compression-Expansion TechniqueTo practise piano scales creatively, play the first five notes of the scale up and back (1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1), then stretch out to the chord tones 1 3 5 8, playing the scale notes at double speed and the chord notes at single speed. This trains your hand to compress and expand while you keep a steady pulse in the left hand.
- How to Really Practice Piano Scales (Part 1)To practise a piano scale with purpose, play the continuous up-and-down cycle in groups of seven notes per 4/4 bar, with six quavers and one crotchet, and move the long crotchet one note later each time so every scale degree gets its turn on a different beat or off-beat.
- How to Creatively Practise Thirds Over Piano ScalesTo practise thirds over a piano scale, write the scale in a circle, pair each note with the scale note two steps above it (E with G#, F# with A, and so on in E major), then play those pairs up, down, or in mixed directions to build both technique and melody.
- How to Transpose to Any Key, Scale, Mode and Chord Progression on PianoTo transpose a melody on piano, first choose its tonic and scale, write each note as a scale-degree number (or swara), then rebuild those numbers in a new key, a new scale, a new mode or over a new chord, singing it before you play it.