Play Smoother Thirds in Both Hands With This Piano Rhythm Drill

Learn to practise piano thirds in G major and G harmonic minor with unique ascending and descending rhythm patterns for both hands. In this piano lesson, Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music walks you through a comprehensive exercise on thirds using two essential scales — G major and G harmonic minor. This is a scale-practice drill with a twist: unique rhythm patterns built into every ascent and descent. You'll learn how thirds are formed by writing scales in a circle and skipping notes, plus how the augmented second interval in the harmonic minor creates that signature three-step leap. We break down both closed thirds and spread thirds, giving intermediate pianists a real technical workout. The rhythm patterns include 16th notes, dotted notes, tied notes, and rests — organised in a 4/4 pulse. You'll practise descending thirds with one rhythm figure and ascending thirds with another, starting from different scale degrees each time. This retrains your brain to think of scales beyond just root-to-root, which is essential for improvisation and sight reading. We also cover three different left-hand approaches: holding the pulse on the starting note, mirroring the right hand with carbon-copy thirds, or playing linear scale notes underneath the thirds in the right hand. For advanced players, Jason introduces spread third voicings that produce beautiful triad harmonisations across both hands. Practise minimum three scales a week, count out loud, move your body with the pulse, and enjoy building real technical fluency at the piano. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 🎬 Major Esque vs Minor Esque — 8 Scales Explained (Part 1) - https://youtu.be/bmy_bXpE900 🎯 Major-Esque Scales You NEED To Know (Part 2) - https://youtu.be/9aKo3JsXkMo 🔑 Minor-Esque Scales Decoded: Exotic to Traditional (Part 3) - https://youtu.be/_DbME-fKHiI 💡 Understand Any Scale Instantly: Major-esque & Minor-esque Framework (full lesson) - https://youtu.be/M88ABjQn0Lo 📂 Scales & Modes - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT_8KkjOUBofqzyhbgGkROE- ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com ⏳ Chapter markers 00:00 - Performance 00:28 - Introduction 🎹 00:54 - Ascending & Descending Thirds 01:24 - Why Practise Thirds? 01:39 - What You’ll Learn in This Lesson 02:21 - The Two Scales: G Major & G Harmonic Minor 02:38 - Understanding Harmonic Minor 🎼 02:53 - The Augmented 2nd Interval Explained 03:21 - How to Form Thirds: The Circle Method 04:21 - Piano Shapes 04:41 - Part 1: The Descending Rhythm Pattern 🥁 05:17 - Descending from different points 06:32 - Counting 16th Notes: 1 e and a 07:23 - Applying the Rhythm to G Major Thirds 07:59 - Left Hand Option 1: Hold the Pulse 09:22 - Left Hand Option 2: Carbon Copy Both Hands 10:16 - Left Hand Option 3: Linear Scale Descent 11:01 - All 3 LH Patterns 11:27 - Descending Thirds in G Harmonic Minor 13:04 - Both Hands Carbon Copy Practice 14:05 - The Ascending Rhythm Pattern 🎵 15:09 - G Major Thirds Ascending 16:01 - Ascending from Every Scale Degree 16:58 - G Harmonic Minor Ascending Thirds 17:12 - Retraining Your Scale Knowledge 🧠 18:05 - Fingering Tips for Thirds 18:20 - Intro to Spread Thirds (Advanced) 🎼 18:50 - Harmonising with Spread & Closed Thirds Together 19:36 - Jumbling the Order for Creative Practice 20:01 - Homework: Three Scales a Week 20:20 - Recap & Final Thoughts 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +917760456847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #PianoThirds #RhythmDrill #PianoTechnique