Gymnopédie No. 1: Gesture Chord Study

Hold the Seventh Shape Through the Opening

This Gymnopédie No. 1 lesson uses a D-centred seventh-chord study, not Satie's melody or a piano reduction. Begin on Gmaj7: select degree IV with the left hand, the major wrist world and three raised right-hand fingers. Dmaj7 changes only the degree to I. The synth sounds a complete chord at each state; it does not roll a bass note and upper chord separately.

Repeat Gmaj7 and Dmaj7 for the next two cards without changing the three-finger quality. The useful constraint is continuity: if a seventh becomes a triad while you change degree, your right hand has moved unnecessarily. Keep its knuckles in the same camera region and compare the quality chip before and after each left-hand move.

Listen for G–B–D–F-sharp and D–F-sharp–A–C-sharp as pitch-class collections. They share D and F-sharp, although the engine's fixed voicing may place those notes in different octaves. Do not promise a smooth piano voice-leading effect from this preset; the exercise measures a stable input shape across two chord roots.

• Target 1: Gmaj7 — degree 4, major world, 3 right-hand fingers, normal octave.
• Target 2: Dmaj7 — degree 1, major world, 3 right-hand fingers, normal octave.
• Target 3: Gmaj7 — degree 4, major world, 3 right-hand fingers, normal octave.
• Target 4: Dmaj7 — degree 1, major world, 3 right-hand fingers, normal octave.
• Target 5: Em7 — degree 2, minor world, 3 right-hand fingers, normal octave.
• Target 6: A7 — degree 5, major world, 4 right-hand fingers, normal octave.
• Target 7: D/F♯ — degree 1, major world, 2 right-hand fingers, normal octave.
• Target 8: Dmaj7 (low) — degree 1, major world, 3 right-hand fingers, low octave.

Review the hand-control map →

Use the Pause to Change Colour, Not Tempo

After the fourth target the section pause gives you time to prepare Em7. Set degree II and rotate the left wrist into minor while keeping three right-hand fingers visible. E–G–B–D is the expected collection. Compared with the opening, the right hand is deliberately unchanged: the wrist and degree now do the work.

A7 then uses degree V, the major world and four fingers. This is a different seventh quality from Dmaj7: A7 includes G natural, whereas Dmaj7 includes C-sharp. The finger count is not a generic seventh on/off switch; three and four choose different interval recipes, so check the world and quality together.

The saved 66 BPM click is an optional preparation reference, not a reconstruction of the piece's meter or phrasing. Turn it off for the first pass. The target will wait for the full recognized state, so a missed beat does not require restarting and a correct beat alone cannot earn confirmation.

Practise chord inversions → · Compare seventh qualities →

Finish with an Inversion and a Separate Register Move

D/F-sharp uses degree I, major world and two fingers. Its lowest generated note is F-sharp; that is the practical difference from the root-position D chord. Freeze the left hand here, because the last target also belongs to degree I and the major world.

For the final low Dmaj7, change two fingers to three and extend the right thumb for the lower octave. First show normal Dmaj7 without the thumb: it should not finish the low target. Then add the thumb and observe the octave chip. This negative check distinguishes register recognition from merely arriving at the correct chord name.

If the last card stalls, inspect quality before moving the thumb again. The change from two to three fingers and the added thumb can cause fingertips to overlap in the image. Separate the fingers in the camera plane, keep the palm away from the frame edge and make one property correction at a time.

Fix recognition problems → · Set up the camera →

A Two-Pass Practice Routine

In pass one, name every control before forming it: IV major three; I major three; repeat; II minor three; V major four; I major two; I major three low. Accuracy matters more than continuity. Wait for each active card to change and use Next section only after the second-half preview is stable.

In pass two, leave the right hand still through the first four targets and use the 66 BPM reference if helpful. Compare the second Gmaj7 with the first: the same target should be reached without a new wrist correction. If you need to rebuild it completely, repeat the opening four-card section before attempting the final register change.

A successful pass completes eight recognized chord states without Skip. It is not evidence that you have performed Gymnopédie No. 1, matched a recording or mastered piano rhythm. For those goals you need the original score and a suitable melodic instrument; this page teaches hands-free chord colour and input independence.

Browse all exercises → · Adjust the practice click →