Who this is for
Complete beginners. You don't need a piano: the on-screen keyboard is all you need. Already know your way around a keyboard? Test out on Day 5.
Why learn this
Every other idea in music theory is built on the keyboard. Scales, chords and keys are all patterns of keys and the gaps between them, so being able to find any note without counting is the best first investment.
This program keeps it simple. Two landmarks (the groups of black keys) unlock the whole keyboard, and each day adds exactly one more idea.
What you will be able to do
- The seven note names and how they repeat
- Using the black-key groups to find C, F and every other white key
- Half steps and whole steps, the two units of distance
- Sharps, flats and why a black key has two names
- Where the half steps are, and the twelve keys that repeat
- Octaves and middle C
The 5-day plan
- The white keys. Name any white key by looking at the black-key groups.
- Steps and the black keys. Know what a half step is, and name any black key with both its names.
- Twelve keys and the missing black keys. Know that the keys repeat every twelve, where the half steps are, and why some keys have two names.
- Octaves and middle C. Find notes across two octaves and know what middle C means.
- Test day. Prove you can find any note quickly.
How each session works
Every day follows the shape of a workout. It starts with a warm-up that reviews earlier days, then technique: a short, plain explanation with a small interactive tool to try it on. Then come the working sets, drills with instant feedback, and a finisher, a short test with a pass mark so you only build on things you can do. A cool-down recaps the day and previews the next.
Choose your split
The daily split is a session a day: done in a week. The easy split is a session every other day, with rest days between: two weeks, and a gentler pace. On your own pace there is no schedule. Nothing is ever locked, and you can change split at any time.
What comes next
Reading Music: The 7-Day Program or Rhythm Basics: The 6-Day Program. See the whole training plan.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a real piano or keyboard?
No. The lessons and drills use an on-screen keyboard. A real instrument helps you hear what you learn, but it is not required.
Why do the notes go A to G?
The musical alphabet has seven letters, A B C D E F G, and then it starts again. The same seven names repeat in every octave.
Why does the keyboard start on C if the letters start at A?
The letters were named more than a thousand years ago, when the lowest note of the standard system was A (the white keys from A to A, which sound minor to us; a piano's lowest key is still an A). Later, music settled on the major scale, and the all-white-key major scale starts on C. The names never changed, so we count the keyboard from C, and octave numbers (C4, C5…) start there too.
What are half steps and whole steps?
A half step is the distance to the very next key on the piano, black or white. A whole step is two half steps, skipping one key. Almost everything in music theory is measured in these two steps.
Why is there no black key between E and F?
Because E to F is a half step, the smallest distance in the system. Black keys fill in the gaps of whole steps. E–F and B–C are the two half steps with nothing in between.
How is this different from the piano key trainer?
The trainer is open practice. This program teaches the ideas in order, day by day, using the trainer's questions at each step.