Top Row Lesson (Q-P)

Moving up to the top row

Once you’re comfortable on the home row, it’s time to reach up to the top row: Q W E R T Y U I O P. Each finger should only stretch to the key in its own column, then return to the home row right after.

Finger	Home row	Top row
Left pinky	A	Q
Left ring	S	W
Left middle	D	E
Left index	F	R, T
Right index	J	Y, U
Right middle	K	I
Right ring	L	O
Right pinky	;	P

Tip

Keep your wrists still while reaching — move only your finger joints. Typing with your wrists instead slows you down and leads to fatigue over time.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is lifting your whole wrist when reaching for the top row — that pulls your hand off the home row and slows down the return. Another mix-up is forgetting which index finger covers T and Y (T is left index, Y is right index). While one finger reaches up, check occasionally that your other fingers are actually staying put on the home row.