Piano exercises from your very first notes to advanced, level by level, with simplified pieces by Beethoven, Burgmüller and Petzold. Play them on your MIDI keyboard and get feedback on every note. Free, in the browser.
Where to start
If you are starting from zero, begin at Level 0, First steps: the right hand on five keys from C, then the left hand in the bass clef, then both hands together, and counting through rests. Each level builds on the one before, so you can go through the catalog in order and move up whenever you feel ready.
What you practice
Most exercises are a few bars long and train one thing at a time: five-finger positions, scales, chords, rhythm, reading in both clefs and playing with both hands. Along the way come real pieces in simplified versions, and the last levels add fast scales, polyrhythms, wide leaps and two-voice counterpoint.
Feedback on every note
Connect your MIDI keyboard, or play on the keyboard on screen, and the app follows you through the score: it marks each note right or wrong as you play it, tells you if you came in early or late, and checks that both hands play together. You can slow the tempo down, loop a few bars and practice one hand at a time.
All the exercises, level by level
Level 0 · First steps
Right hand: 5 fingers on C Play C-D-E-F-G with the right hand alone, one finger per note, in quarter notes at a slow tempo.
Left hand: 5 fingers on C (bass clef) Play C-D-E-F-G with the left hand alone in the bass clef, one finger per note, in quarter notes.
Hands together: five notes at the octave Play the same five notes (C-D-E-F-G) with both hands at the same time, one octave apart, in quarter notes.
Quarter notes and rests Keep a steady pulse with one hand, playing quarter notes and leaving silent gaps (rests) on some beats.
Level 1 · Basic beginner
Pulse with the metronome Hold one steady BPM: first play one note per beat (quarter notes), then two even notes inside each beat (eighth notes).
Alternating eighth notes between hands Keep a continuous stream of eighth notes shared between the two hands: the right hand plays on every beat (C and E) and the left hand answers on every off-beat (D and F).
Clap before you play Read and clap the rhythm while counting out loud, then play the same rhythm on the keyboard.
Echo between hands (call and response) The right hand plays C-D-E-G in quarter notes and the left hand answers like an echo one octave lower. One finger per note, one hand at a time, at a slow tempo.
Alternating hands Train hand crossing: the left hand plays the high notes (C5-E5) on the upper staff and the right hand the low notes (C3-E3) on the lower staff, taking turns like a call and response, without losing track of which hand is playing.
Treble clef reading Read the notes C-D-E-F-G in the treble clef, moving only by step (neighbouring notes), with the right hand.
Bass-clef reading Read low notes in the bass clef with the left hand, naming and locating each one before you play it.
Level 2 · Beginner, two hands
Melody + real held note (left hand holds a whole note) The right hand plays a simple melody while the left holds a whole note through the entire measure, keeping the key pressed to the end of its value.
Melody over a steady left-hand anchor (one quarter note per beat) Coordinate two different note values at once: two even eighth notes in the right hand for every quarter note in the left, while both hands run stepwise up and down the E-minor scale.
Melody + simple bass (one bass note per measure) The left hand plays one short bass note on beat 1 of each measure while the right hand plays a simple melody on top, so the hands start together at the bar line.
Waltz bass (bass on beat 1, chord on beats 2-3, in 3/4) Coordinate both hands for a chun-ta-ta waltz: the left hand plays the bass on beat 1 and the right hand answers with a three-note chord on beats 2 and 3.
Intervals as shapes (reading 2nds, 3rds and 5ths) Read blocked intervals as single shapes: with the right hand play thirds (C-E, D-F, E-G, F-A) up to a fourth (G-C) at the top and back down, while the left hand plays a stepwise bass line. Sound both notes of each shape at the same time.
Simple rhythmic independence (honest 2-against-1) Keep a three-note right-hand chord landing on every off-beat (the 'and' of each beat) while the left hand marks all four beats with steady quarter notes. The point is to lock the chords to the off-beat and not let them drift onto the beat.
Level 3 · Elementary
First black keys: G and D major pentachords Compare two five-finger pentachords, hands together an octave apart: bars 1-2 use the G major pentachord (G-A-B-C-D, all white keys) and bars 3-4 use the D major pentachord (D-E-F#-G-A), where finger 3 reaches your first black key, F#. Play each one up and back down in even eighth notes.
C major scale: one octave with the thumb-under turn Play the C major scale up and down across one octave in the right hand, learning the standard fingering and the smooth thumb-under after the third finger. The exercise closes with a short five-finger turn (C-D-E-F-G and back) that needs no thumb-under.
Main scales: C, G, F major and A minor · A minor Play the A natural minor scale one octave (A3-A4) with standard fingering, controlling the thumb pass; then work the added-sixth arpeggio in bar 3 (A-C-E-F-A) and the five-finger pattern in bar 4. Right hand only.
Main scales: C, G, F major and A minor · C major Play the one-octave C major scale up and down with even eighth notes and the standard thumb-under fingering, right hand alone. C major has no accidentals, so every key is white (C to C). Bars 3 and 4 finish with the broken chord and the C five-finger pattern.
Main scales: C, G, F major and A minor · F major Play the F major scale one octave with the right hand as a single clear melodic line, minding its only flat (B♭) and its own fingering: the thumb never lands on B♭. Bars 3 and 4 finish with the broken chord and the F five-finger pattern.
Main scales: C, G, F major and A minor · G major Master the one-octave G major scale as a clear melodic line: F# always correct, even eighth notes, and stable fingering with a smooth thumb-under. Bars 3 and 4 finish with the broken chord and the G five-finger pattern.
Major and minor block triads Play major and minor triads as block chords (all three notes at exactly the same time): C, F and G go from major to minor and, in the last bar, A goes from minor to major, while the left hand holds the root in half notes.
I-IV-V-I cadences in C In C major the right hand plays a I-IV-V-I cadence with block triads (C-E-G, F-A-C, G-B-D, C-E-G) on every one of the four beats, while the left hand plays the root of each chord (C-F-G-C). Both hands strike exactly together on each beat. The two measures are identical.
I-V-vi-IV progression Play the chord progression I-V-vi-IV in C major (roots C-G-A-F), one triad per bar in quarter notes; bars 5-6 restart with I-V (C-G). All four triads are in root position with the same 1-3-5 shape: freeze that shape in the right hand and shift it as a block to the next chord, while the left hand plays the bass one octave lower.
Rhythm: dotted notes and syncopation Learn to count and play the dotted quarter followed by an eighth, the rest after a long note that you count without playing, and the syncopation that shifts the accent off the strong beat.
Repertoire: your first complete piece · Ludwig van Beethoven Learn and perform from start to finish the complete 16-measure theme (A-A'-B-A'' form) of Beethoven's Ode to Joy: a quarter-note melody with eighth-note turns in the right hand over block fifths (C3+G3 and G2+D3) sustained as whole notes in the left.
Level 4 · Upper elementary
Dynamics Hold the top whole note with finger 5 while the same hand plays the inner motive C-D-E-F with fingers 1-2-3-4, following each bar's printed dynamic (p → mf → f → mp). The app does not score volume, so judge the dynamics by ear.
Articulation: legato vs staccato Play the same melody two ways: in measures 1-2 in legato, with two-note slurs joining each pair of eighth notes, and in measures 3-4 in staccato, with every note short and detached, over one long left-hand note per measure.
Musical phrasing Shape the four two-bar phrases marked with slurs in this right-hand melody in C major, treating each phrase like a spoken sentence with a small breath at the end.
Arpeggios Play chords as broken chords (arpeggios), sounding each chord tone in turn with a relaxed, even hand.
Chord inversions Play the same triad in three positions: root position, first inversion, and second inversion, recognising each by its lowest note.
Basic pedal use Use the sustain pedal with legato (syncopated) pedalling: change the pedal just after each new harmony so chords ring without blurring together.
Repertoire: applied expression · Johann Friedrich Burgmüller Learn the first 8 real measures of Burgmüller's 'La Candeur' (Op. 100 No. 1): the original legato eighth-note line in the right hand, shaped with slurs and dynamics (p dolce and crescendo), over the original's own whole-note chords in the left.
Level 5 · Intermediate
Contrary-motion scale (mirrored hands) · A minor Play the A natural minor scale in contrary motion: both hands mirror each other over one octave using the same finger numbers at the same time, with clean, simultaneous thumb-under turns.
Contrary-motion scale (mirrored hands) · Bb major Play the Bb major scale in contrary motion: both hands start in eighth notes exactly together, the right rises one octave (B♭3–B♭4) while the left descends one (B♭2–B♭1), with standard fingering and clean thumb-under turns.
Contrary-motion scale (mirrored hands) · C major Play the C major scale in contrary motion, one octave per hand: the right hand rises from C4 to C5 while the left descends from C3 to C2, in exact mirror, so both hands use the same fingers at the same time.
Contrary-motion scale (mirrored hands) · D major Play the D major scale in contrary motion: both hands start on D, move apart in mirrored eighth notes and return to their starting positions, using the same finger at the same time with clean thumb-under turns.
Contrary-motion scale (mirrored hands) · E minor Play the E natural minor scale in contrary motion: both hands in mirror, one octave out and back, with the standard fingering and clean thumb-under turns.
Contrary-motion scale (mirrored hands) · F major Play the major scale in contrary motion: the right hand climbs one octave while the left descends in mirror, then both return to their starting notes. The same two-measure out-and-back repeats four times in eighth notes, closing each round with a quarter note.
Contrary-motion scale (mirrored hands) · G major Play a one-octave major scale in contrary motion: the hands start an octave apart and open and close in mirror image, with symmetric fingering and the same finger in both hands at the same time.
Two-octave scale with both hands Play the C major scale over two octaves with both hands in parallel (RH C4→C6→C4, LH C3→C5→C3), full ascent and descent, played twice, in eighth notes at 76 bpm, with the standard fingering and a clean thumb-under with no wrist twist.
Parallel thirds (double notes) · A minor Play a line of double thirds that rises through the first bar and falls back in the second, in both hands at once, moving in parallel an octave apart, and sound the two notes of each third exactly together with an even tone.
Parallel thirds (double notes) · Bb major Play a line of thirds in each hand: both hands play the same double notes in parallel, an octave apart, sounding the two notes of every third exactly together and evenly.
Parallel thirds (double notes) · C major Play parallel thirds with both hands at the same time, one octave apart, sounding all four notes of each attack exactly together and with an even tone, in C major.
Parallel thirds (double notes) · D major Play lines of double thirds in both hands at once, in parallel motion an octave apart, sounding each pair of notes exactly together with an even tone.
Parallel thirds (double notes) · E minor Play double thirds in both hands at once, the left hand an octave below the right, sounding each pair exactly together and with an even, matched tone.
Parallel thirds (double notes) · F major Play the F-major scale in double thirds with both hands together in parallel motion an octave apart: climb one octave in bar 1 and come back down in bar 2, sounding both notes of each hand exactly together.
Parallel thirds (double notes) · G major Play double-note lines a third apart in each hand, both hands moving in parallel an octave apart, sounding every pair exactly together with an even tone.
Accompaniment patterns (Alberti, waltz, ballad) Hold a fast Alberti bass in the left hand steady and even — an unbroken stream of sixteenth notes that breaks each triad root-fifth-third-fifth while the chord changes every bar: C, D minor, F, G minor, A, B minor, E, F-sharp minor, then back to C. Above it the right hand runs a two-octave C-major scale in eighth notes.
Rhythmic independence (2:1 / 3:1) Coordinate the right hand playing two or three notes per beat against the left hand's steady quarter notes, switching subdivision without disturbing the shared pulse.
Sight-reading short fragments Sight-read four distinct 2-bar fragments that share the work between the hands: a stepwise right-hand melody (bars 1-2), the same melody one octave lower in the left hand (bars 3-4), left-hand eighth notes zigzagging in thirds (bars 5-6) and parallel thirds in the right hand (bars 7-8). The first pass of the day is the cold read: reach the end without stopping; then work on fluency.
Intermediate repertoire · Christian Petzold Learn and perform from start to finish the complete first section (16 measures in G major, 3/4) of the Minuet in G by Christian Petzold (traditionally attributed to J. S. Bach): a melody of quarter and eighth notes in the right hand over a calm left-hand bass of long notes.
Level 6 · Upper intermediate / early advanced
Fast scales and chromatics Play a two-octave chromatic scale with both hands in parallel, two octaves apart, keeping every note clear and even as the speed rises, with no rushing or smearing at the turn.
Polyrhythm 3:2 Play eighth-note triplets in the right hand against straight eighths in the left: both hands travel the natural minor scale on C in stepwise motion, locked to one shared pulse.
Polyrhythm 4:3 Play four even notes in one hand against three in the other, aligning both lines inside one twelve-step grid per beat group.
Wide leaps The left hand leaps on every beat between a very low bass note and one in the middle register (up to two octaves apart), while the right hand runs an unbroken stream of eighth-note triplets up and down the D minor scale. Land each leap on the correct key and in time, without letting the right-hand triplets slow down or accent when the left hand jumps.
Octaves and inner voice Hold an octave frame perfectly still as whole notes while the other hand sings a legato inner voice in eighth notes: in bars 1-4 the left hand sustains and the right hand sings; in bars 5-8 the roles swap.
Guided improvisation Master a model melody in A minor pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) over a fixed Am-F-C-G loop that the app scores note by note, then use it as a springboard to improvise your own lines (judged by ear).
Level 7 · Advanced
Chromatic scale in contrary motion (endurance) One-fifth chromatic cell in contrary motion: the right hand climbs C4→G4 and, on reaching the top, drops a fifth back to C4 to climb again; the left hand mirrors it, descending C3→F2 and leaping from F2 up to C3. It is all even sixteenth notes with no pause. Each bar the pattern starts one semitone higher (bar 1 on C, 2 on C#, 3 on D, 4 on E♭), so the re-entry falls on a different point of the bar. Loop it keeping even tone and a steady pulse without stopping.
Melodic octaves at speed Keep a firm octave span in both hands while each hand plays the same stepwise pattern displaced by one eighth note: the right hand lands on the beat and the left answers one eighth later, so the two hands never sound together.
Double thirds and sixths Play a scale or passage in parallel double thirds and sixths in one hand, keeping both notes of each interval perfectly together and legato.
Repertoire: Arabesque (Burgmüller) A short study based on a simplified version of Burgmüller's Arabesque: 16 bars in A minor where the right hand alternates the original sixteenth-note turn (bars 1-2 and 5-6: four sixteenths rising to a quarter note and four falling back to A4) with broken-chord eighth notes in five-finger positions that change at every barline (bars 3-4 and 7-16), over staccato left-hand triads on beats 1 and 3, following the printed dynamic plan p-mf-f-p.
Two-voice counterpoint (invention style) Play a four-bar miniature invention in two voices: the right hand states the theme in eighth notes over bass half notes, the left hand imitates it two octaves lower in bar 2, the hands answer each other in contrary motion, and the piece closes on a G-C cadence in half notes.
Cadences and advanced harmony Chain 15 block chords with minimal voice-leading: I-IV-V7-I in C major, a short modulation to G major via Am7-A7 (with C#) and D7, and the return through G7 to the final ii7-V7-I perfect cadence, with each seventh falling and each leading tone rising at its resolution.
Triplet cadences Play a triplet turnaround: the right hand arpeggiates one root-position major triad per beat in continuous eighth-note triplets, while the left hand accompanies with open fifths in quarter notes. Bar 1 is a I-IV-V-I cadence in C (C-F-G-C); bar 2 chains the major triads D-G-A-E with the chromatic notes F#, C#, G#.
Frequently asked questions
What are easy piano pieces for beginners?
The first complete piece in the catalog is Beethoven's Ode to Joy, in a simplified version, at Level 3. After it come Burgmüller's La Candeur at Level 4, Petzold's Minuet in G at Level 5 and Burgmüller's Arabesque at Level 7. If you have never played, start with the five-finger exercises of Level 0.
Do I need my own sheet music?
No. Every exercise comes with its score, ready to play on screen. If you want to practice something else, you can also import your own MusicXML, MXL or MEI file.
How does the note-by-note feedback work?
The app compares what you play with the score as you go, note by note and hand by hand. At the end of each pass you see your score and a map of the bars, so you know which ones to practice again.
Are the exercises free? Do I need an account?
They are all free, and you do not need an account: choose an exercise, connect your keyboard and press Practice. There is nothing to install, everything runs in the browser.