Playing, Part 2
Chapter 13: Advanced Playing – Beyond Hand Positions
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Break free of fixed hand positions — move freely across the keys, play pop and classical pieces, add arpeggios, and shape music with dynamics and articulation.
Moving Your Hands to the Notes as Needed
Break free of fixed five-finger positions and learn to move your hands freely to the notes, looking ahead to anticipate register changes.
Arpeggios
Break left-hand chords into flowing arpeggios in a new version of "Wonderful Tonight," working with a metronome and the damper pedal for a lush pop-ballad sound.
Dynamics, Slurs, and Articulations
Play Clementi's "Sonatina in C Major" while learning dynamics, slurs, articulations, and cut time to shape phrases with smooth, separated, loud, and soft notes.
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Metronome
Set the tempo and time signature and practice in steady time, or open the Pro tab for subdivisions, per-beat accents, a speed trainer, a gap trainer, click sounds, and recording yourself under the click — all free, right in your browser.
Note finder
Pick a note and see every place it sits on the piano keyboard, named — and tap any key to hear it.
Note reading trainer
Practice reading the treble, alto or bass staff: a note appears, you click it on the piano. Instant feedback, the note plays, your score tracks.
Tap tempo (BPM tapper)
Tap the button or the space bar in time with any music and it reads the tempo back in BPM, with a matching tempo marking.
Virtual piano
Play a piano in your browser — use your mouse, touch, or computer keyboard. Real piano sound, and a free Pro tab with up to 61 keys, sustain, MIDI keyboard input, a metronome, and recording.
Accidental calculator
Pick a key and a note letter and it tells you the sharp, flat, or natural that letter carries in that key, spells the note, and shows it on the staff.