The first piece entered in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. Meticulous fingerings are provided.

His second son, C. P. E. Bach, proudly recounts that his father, J. S. Bach, employed new fingerings, such as passing the thumb under the hand to shift hand positions (Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen, Part I). In traditional 17th-century playing, the hand typically moved across the keyboard in small increments, primarily using pairs of fingers. This approach centered on four 'fingers,' with the 'thumb' (often given a distinct word from 'finger' in various Western languages) used only very subsidiarily. This is clearly evident from the '3-4-3-4' indication given for the simple ascending passage at the beginning of this fingering exercise. In other words, Bach was still teaching his son traditional fingerings in this exercise. It is possible that hand position changes involving the thumb were used restrictively in pieces with complex keys, i.e., those frequently using black keys, or compositions with many accidentals.

Even if the fingerings appear old-fashioned and inconvenient at first glance, following their instructions reveals Bach's intended accents and phrase divisions clearly. The two-finger pairing technique is a rational method for instruments where volume cannot be changed, such as the organ or harpsichord, and where articulation constitutes the entirety of musical expression. While it may not be suitable for the heavy, wide keys of modern pianos, and one could argue that for such simple pieces, the choice of fingerings makes little difference to the outcome, these fingering indications should be regarded as valuable historical documents that technically convey the sound of Bach's era.