Music · Piano
Piano
Never sat at a piano? Start here. Meet the keys, learn to read music a step at a time, and play songs from Hot Cross Buns to Bach, Beethoven and Chopin with every note lit up as it sounds.
Start here
Never sat at a piano? You’re in the right place. Take these four steps in order, a little each day, or jump to whatever you need.
- Meet the pianoThe black and white keys, finding C, your hands and fingers, and your first notes. No reading yet.
- Read musicThe staff, the notes, rhythm and key signatures, with short drills to make them stick.
- Play songsStart with Hot Cross Buns. Every note lights up on the music and on the keys as it sounds.
- Keep timeA metronome to practice with, and a rhythm trainer for both hands.
Try a key
Press any key. The gold dot marks middle C, the C in the middle of a piano. The Letter names button shows or hides the names of the keys.
On a computer you can also play with the letter keys: A S D F G H J K play C D E F G A B C.
The piano courses
For someone who has never seen a piano: the black and white keys, finding C, how to sit, finger numbers, your first notes, sharps and flats, the pedals and how to practice.
The staff, the treble and bass clefs, note values and rhythm, time and key signatures, scales, intervals and chords, and the signs on the page, with drills that keep your scores in this browser.
Songs for piano, guitar, ukulele and banjo, from first tunes to Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, classical guitar studies, Hawaiian-style ukulele and old-time fiddle tunes. Each one shows the music, and the tab or the keys, with every note lit up as it plays.
Also for every instrument: the metronome, the rhythm trainer and the rest of Music.
What you need
Any acoustic piano, digital piano or electronic keyboard will do. A full piano has 88 keys. A keyboard with 61 keys is plenty for everything here.
The keys on the screen work in every lesson, drill and song, with a mouse, a touch screen or your computer’s letter keys. They are a fine way to start.
Plug it into your computer with a USB cable and press the MIDI button above the on-screen keys. The lessons and songs then hear what you play. This works in browsers that offer Web MIDI, such as Chrome and Edge.
Ten or fifteen minutes most days does more than one long session a week. Your drill scores and finished chapters are saved in this browser only: no account needed.