Piano
206 articles · 18 tools
Guides — 80 guides
Piano vs guitar vs ukulele: which is easier to learn first?
Piano, guitar or ukulele as a first instrument: one table of cost, the first month, time to a first song, portability, theory and styles, plus who should pick which.
How to connect a piano keyboard to a computer: USB, MIDI and Bluetooth
Connect a digital piano or MIDI keyboard by USB, a 5-pin MIDI interface or Bluetooth MIDI, with steps for Windows, macOS, iPad and Android, a fix for latency and a troubleshooting table.
Jazz piano for beginners: seventh chords, voicings, swing and your first tunes
A step-by-step start in jazz piano: the five seventh chords, shell and rootless voicings, the ii–V–I, swing feel, the blues scale, eight first standards and the pianists to listen to.
Famous piano pieces: 15 classical works everyone knows
The 15 most famous classical piano pieces, from Für Elise and Clair de lune to La Campanella, with the composer, year, level and what each teaches, plus sheet music.
Piano chord progressions: the chart, the voicings and the songs
The piano chord progressions behind most songs, a chart of the chords in all 12 major and minor keys, and how to voice each one with two hands: left-hand roots, right-hand inversions and smooth voice leading.
Learning to play piano for free: a 10-step course map
A free piano course in ten steps, from the keyboard and reading notes to chords, scales and ear training: the short answer for each step, the free tool to practice it, the guide to read next and a rough time.
Best online piano lessons: 10 courses, apps and teachers for beginners
The ten best online piano lessons for beginners and adults, ranked: complete video courses, chord, technique and jazz courses, apps that listen, and a live teacher over video.
Types of pianos: grand, upright, digital and keyboard compared
Every type of piano by size, from the spinet to the concert grand, plus digital pianos, hybrids and portable keyboards in one comparison table, with straight answers on piano vs keyboard, digital vs acoustic and learning on a keyboard.
Piano pedals: what each pedal does and how to use them
What the three piano pedals do on a grand, an upright and a digital piano, how pedal markings look in sheet music, syncopated pedaling step by step, common mistakes and five pieces to practice on.
How to sight-read piano music: a method and a 4-week plan
How to sight-read piano music: the 30-second scan before you play, reading by landmarks and intervals, keeping the pulse, what to practice on, a ten-minute daily routine and a four-week plan with free trainers.
Piano hand position: posture, finger numbers and scale fingerings
How to sit, shape the hand and number the fingers at the piano: bench height, the curved hand, C position and other five-finger positions, thumb-under crossings, the left hand, common faults and a fingering chart for all 12 major scales.
How long does it take to learn piano? A realistic timeline and level guide
An honest timeline for piano beginners: what you can play after three months, one year and five years, what makes piano hard or easier, and the four piano levels with real pieces.
Piano practice routine: a 15, 30 and 45-minute plan that works
A piano practice routine with five fixed slots, warm-up, technique, new material, review and playing for pleasure, scaled to 15, 30 and 45 minutes, with the rules that make each slot count and a weekly log.
Piano exercises for beginners: the daily drills that build even fingers
Eight piano exercises for beginners with the notes and fingering written out, what each one trains and how many minutes it needs, plus hand position, a first Hanon pattern and the technique books that fit any method.
Piano for kids: when to start, what to buy and how to keep them playing
A parent’s guide to piano for kids: how to tell a child is ready, what to do at the keyboard at home before lessons, how to choose a teacher and a first book, what kind of keyboard a beginner needs, and how to keep practice short, daily and free of arguments.
Learning piano as an adult: how to start and what to expect
A first plan for adult beginners: what to buy, which two books to start with, whether you need a teacher, a 12-week milestone table and what progress honestly looks like.
Easy Christmas piano songs for beginners: the 10 to learn first
The ten easiest Christmas songs to play on the piano, ranked by the skill each one asks for first, with what every song teaches, a summary table and sheet music for each pick.
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly (1931–1971), ranked #33 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the buoyant, swinging accompanist behind Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Willie "The Lion" Smith
Willie "The Lion" Smith (1893–1973), ranked #48 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the flamboyant Harlem stride master and most harmonically daring of the superstriders — his life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan (1930–2001), ranked #8 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — jazz's most tasteful accompanist, from Coltrane's 'Giant Steps' to a celebrated trio career.
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), ranked #15 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the singular composer-pianist behind "'Round Midnight" and angular, swinging jazz — with scores to play.
Tete Montoliu
Tete Montoliu (1933–1997), ranked #21 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the blind Catalan bebopper who became Europe's premier jazz pianist — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Teddy Wilson
Teddy Wilson (1912–1986), ranked #23 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the definitive swing stylist of the "walking tenths," a Benny Goodman mainstay — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Roland Hanna
Roland Hanna (1932–2002), ranked #49 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the classically trained Detroit-school pianist, composer and teacher who fused every idiom into one voice — his life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
Red Garland
Red Garland (1923–1984), ranked #10 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the block-chord bluesman who powered the classic Miles Davis Quintet — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Ray Bryant
Ray Bryant (1931–2011), #41 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: the gospel-and-blues master of solo piano who wrote 'Little Susie' — with recordings and scores to play.
Ralph Sharon
Ralph Sharon (1923–2015), ranked #46 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: Tony Bennett's longtime pianist and musical director and a master Songbook accompanist — his life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
Phineas Newborn Jr.
Phineas Newborn Jr. (1931–1989), ranked #22 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the phenomenal virtuoso of two-handed octave lines, praised and undervalued alike — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson (1925–2007), ranked #1 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — the Montreal virtuoso whose flawless technique and mighty swing defined the jazz piano trio.
Nat "King" Cole
Nat "King" Cole (1919–1965), ranked #24 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the supple, riffing pianist whose drummerless trio reshaped small-group jazz — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander (b. 1944), ranked #5 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — the Kingston-born virtuoso who fuses Caribbean rhythm with hard-swinging jazz; still touring in 2026.
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner (1938–2020), ranked #11 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: Coltrane's pianist whose quartal, modal, percussive sound reshaped jazz piano — with recordings and scores to play.
Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams (1910–1981), ranked #47 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the self-taught pianist-composer who spanned every jazz era and opened doors for women — her life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano (1919–1978), ranked #30 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the blind innovator whose free-improv and overdubbing experiments predated free jazz — with essential recordings and scores.
Kenny Drew
Kenny Drew (1928–1993), ranked #13 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the hard-bop pianist and prized accompanist who anchored Copenhagen's jazz scene — with recordings and scores to play.
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron (b. 1943), #36 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: the unhurried modern master bridging bebop and today, still touring in 2026 — with scores to play.
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett (born 1945), ranked #50 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the improviser behind The Köln Concert, jazz's best-selling solo piano album — his life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
John Bunch
John Bunch (1921–2010), #35 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: the tasteful swing pianist who bridged Teddy Wilson and Bud Powell — with recordings and scores to play.
Jimmy Rowles
Jimmy Rowles (1918–1996), #40 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: the great singers' accompanist and composer of 'The Peacocks' — with recordings and scores to play.
Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton (c. 1890–1941), #43 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: the boastful New Orleans pioneer whose ragtime solos swung with new freedom — with scores to play.
Horace Silver
Horace Silver (1928–2014), ranked #18 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the self-taught architect of hard bop and composer of "Song for My Father" — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock (born 1940), ranked #42 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list and the highest-ranked living pianist on it: Blue Note, Miles Davis, Head Hunters and "Watermelon Man" — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Hank Jones
Hank Jones (1918–2010), ranked #19 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the velvet-touch accompanist and harmonist who headed the Detroit piano school — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Hampton Hawes
Hampton Hawes (1928–1977), ranked #14 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the fiery Los Angeles bebopper who disproved the cool-West-Coast cliché — with recordings and scores to play.
George Shearing
George Shearing (1919–2011), ranked #9 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — the blind British-born master of the 'locked-hands' block-chord sound and 'Lullaby of Birdland'.
Gene Harris
Gene Harris (1933–2000), ranked #12 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the blues- and gospel-rooted groove master of the Three Sounds — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Fats Waller
Fats Waller (1904–1943), ranked #31 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the joyous stride master and hit songwriter who taught Tatum and Basie — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner (1921–1977), ranked #25 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the self-taught, orchestral-sounding pianist who wrote "Misty" — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Earl Hines
Earl 'Fatha' Hines (1903–1983), #39 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: the father of modern jazz piano whose 'trumpet-style' made ragtime obsolete — with scores to play.
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington (1899–1974), #38 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: apart from the composer, an original pianist whose angular touch pointed toward Monk — with scores to play.
Dick Hyman
Dick Hyman (b. 1927), ranked #32 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the stylistic chameleon who can re-create any era of jazz piano — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Derek Smith
Derek Smith (1931–2016), ranked #45 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the English-born virtuoso and Tonight Show pianist who fused Powell and Peterson — his life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna (1930–2008), ranked #34 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the 'three-handed' solo swinger whose self-contained left hand made him a one-man band — with essential recordings and scores.
Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck (1920–2012), ranked #28 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the classically schooled star of odd meters and polytonality behind Time Out — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Cyrus Chestnut
Cyrus Chestnut (b. 1963), ranked #29 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the gospel-rooted, dynamically nuanced pianist modeled on Ahmad Jamal — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Count Basie
Count Basie (1904–1984), ranked #27 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the Kansas City bandleader whose spare, blues-drenched stride piano is the art of leaving things out — with essential recordings and scores.
Chick Corea
Chick Corea (1941–2021), ranked #20 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: fusion pioneer with Return to Forever, Miles Davis alumnus and composer of "Spain" — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Cedar Walton
Cedar Walton (1934–2013), ranked #26 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the hard-bop mainstay and composer of "Bolivia" and "Firm Roots" — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Bud Powell
Bud Powell (1924–1966), ranked #3 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — the New York pianist who invented the language of bebop piano and shaped every player after him.
Bobby Timmons
Bobby Timmons (1935–1974), #37 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists ranking: the soul-jazz composer of 'Moanin'' whose anthems outshone his own career — with scores to play.
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (1921–2010), ranked #17 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the polished bebop stylist and tireless jazz educator and advocate — with recordings and scores to play.
Bill Evans
Bill Evans (1929–1980), ranked #2 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — the New Jersey pianist whose singing tone and impressionist harmony reinvented the modern jazz trio.
The Best Women Jazz Pianists
The ten greatest women jazz pianists in Gene Rizzo's ranking — from Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland to Eliane Elias, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Renee Rosnes — with corrected dates and scores to play.
The Best Jazz Pianists of All Time
Jazz journalist Gene Rizzo's ranking of the 50 greatest jazz piano players — Peterson, Evans, Powell, Tatum, Monk, Hancock, Corea and more — with a full table, the eras of jazz piano, and scores to play.
Benny Green
Benny Green (b. 1963), ranked #6 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — the blues-steeped hard-bop pianist Oscar Peterson picked as his protégé; still recording in 2026.
Art Tatum
Art Tatum (1909–1956), ranked #4 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the nearly blind Toledo virtuoso whose speed and harmonic daring redefined the instrument — with essential recordings and scores to play.
André Previn
André Previn (1929–2019), ranked #7 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — the Oscar-winning composer-conductor whose brilliant, blues-tinged jazz-trio records sold in the millions.
Al Haig
Al Haig (1924–1982), ranked #44 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the lyrical bebop pianist and favorite Charlie Parker accompanist — his life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal (1930–2023), ranked #16 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the space-conscious trio master whose economy shaped Miles Davis and "Poinciana" — with recordings and scores to play.
Middle C
What middle C is, how to find it on the keyboard, its pitch and frequency (C4, ~261.63 Hz), and where it sits on the grand staff — with a quick reference table.
What is the chromatic scale?
Learn what the chromatic scale is: all 12 pitches an octave apart by half steps, why it has no home key, how to spell it up and down, and how to play it.
Melodic minor scale
Learn what the melodic minor scale is, how it raises the 6th and 7th ascending, why classical practice reverts descending, and the notes of A melodic minor.
Easy piano songs for beginners
The best easy piano songs for beginners use a small hand span, few black keys, and repeating patterns. Here are 12 real pieces and what each one teaches.
How to play piano: a beginner's guide
Start playing piano step by step: posture, the keyboard, your first notes, reading music, scales, chords, rhythm, and how to practice.
Major and minor scales: the difference
Major sounds bright, minor sounds shaded — and the difference is a handful of lowered notes. Learn to spell and hear it, plus the three minor scales.
Piano keys and notes: a map of the keyboard
Name any key on sight: the repeating pattern of white and black keys, the black-key landmarks, octaves and middle C, and the sharps and flats.
How to read piano notes
Learn to connect notes on the page to keys on the piano: orient by the black-key groups, anchor on middle C, and turn any written note into the right key.
Piano scales for beginners
Learn what piano scales are, why the major scale sounds bright, how to play C major with the right fingering, and a simple practice path to start today.
Piano chords for beginners
Learn how piano chords are built from stacked thirds, find the six essential beginner triads, and play your first chord progression with confidence.
Circle of fifths
The one diagram that turns key signatures, related keys and chords into something you can reason about — the circle of fifths, explained.
From the books — 20 articles
B♭ / A♯ Piano Chords
All the B♭ / A♯ piano and keyboard chords — 7 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
A♭ / G♯ Piano Chords
All the A♭ / G♯ piano and keyboard chords — 7 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
G♭ / F♯ Piano Chords
All the G♭ / F♯ piano and keyboard chords — 7 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
E♭ / D♯ Piano Chords
All the E♭ / D♯ piano and keyboard chords — 7 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
D♭ / C♯ Piano Chords
All the D♭ / C♯ piano and keyboard chords — 7 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
B Piano Chords
All the B piano and keyboard chords — 8 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
A Piano Chords
All the A piano and keyboard chords — 10 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
G Piano Chords
All the G piano and keyboard chords — 9 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
F Piano Chords
All the F piano and keyboard chords — 7 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
E Piano Chords
All the E piano and keyboard chords — 10 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
D Piano Chords
All the D piano and keyboard chords — 9 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
C Piano Chords
All the C piano and keyboard chords — 9 shapes with colour keyboard diagrams, real-hand photos and notation.
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.
Diatonic Four-Part Chords and Progressions
Discover how four-part seventh chords stack onto every degree of the major scale to form the diatonic chords behind countless progressions.
Dominant Seventh Chords and Inversions
Construct the dominant seventh chord, decode why a bare 7 suffix signals it, and practice its inversions in both hands from every root.
Minor Seventh (With Flatted Fifth) Chords and Inversions
Flatten the fifth of a minor seventh to form the half-diminished chord, meet the diminished interval, and practice its inversions.
Minor Seventh Chords and Inversions
Build the minor seventh chord and its inversions, one of the most commonly used four-part chords in pop, jazz, and beyond.
Major Seventh Chords and Inversions
Step beyond triads into four-part chords, building the major seventh chord from a C major scale and learning to read its Cmaj7 symbol and inversions.
Introducing “Slash Chord” Symbols
Read slash-chord symbols like "C/E" that tell you to put a chord tone other than the root on the bottom, a staple of popular sheet music.
Voice Leading Between Inversions
Connect chords smoothly by following the inner melodic lines, learning how stepwise motion between voices keeps progressions sounding seamless.
Tools — 18 tools
Piano tools →Interactive tools for Piano — try them right in your browser.
Keyboard ear trainer
Hear a note, then click the matching key on the on-screen piano — with instant feedback, the right key revealed on a miss, and a running score.
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.
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 ear trainer
Hear a note, name it, and get instant feedback and a running score — with a reference C to anchor your ear, 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.
Key signature finder
Pick a mode and a key and see its sharps or flats drawn on the staff, the scale spelled out, and its relative key named — then hear it played.
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.
Chord progression player
Browse the progressions behind pop, rock, jazz, blues and classical music, hear each one in any key on piano or guitar, and loop it at your own tempo to practice or write over.
Chord finder
Pick a root note and a chord type — major, minor, sevenths, suspended and more — and see the chord on the piano, named and spelled out for you.
Scale finder
Pick a root note and a scale type — major, minor, the modes, pentatonic, blues — and see every note light up on the piano, spelled out for you.
Key signature trainer
A key signature appears on the staff, you pick the major key it belongs to, and you get instant feedback and a running score.
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.
Chord analysis tool
Pick a major or minor key and see its seven diatonic triads with numerals, chord symbols, and notes — click a numeral to light the chord on the keyboard and hear it.
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.
Chord reading trainer
A chord is stacked on the staff, you name its type, and you can hear it — with instant feedback and a running score.
Scale ear trainer
Hear a scale played from a random root and name its type — major, minor, the modes, pentatonic, blues — with instant feedback and a running score.
Scale reading trainer
A scale is written on the staff, you name its type, and you can hear it played back — with instant feedback and a running score.
Interval finder
Pick a root note and an interval — from a minor second to an octave — and see and hear the two notes on the piano.