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New Released in April 2026
Learn Piano for Beginners, One Key at a Time
To learn piano for beginners, start small, even from scratch. Eighty-eight keys look like a lot, but they are the same twelve notes repeated. Learn those twelve, then three-note chords, and the whole keyboard opens up. Here is the order to do it in, from the first day.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Which keyboard to start on
- A digital piano or keyboard with full-size keys; 61 keys is enough for a long time.
- A USB port helps: plug it into a computer and it works as a MIDI keyboard.
- An acoustic piano is great too; the microphone can hear it.
How to sit and place your hands
Sit so your forearms are level with the keys and your elbows hang loose. Curve your fingers as if holding a ball. Number them: thumb 1, index 2, middle 3, ring 4, little finger 5. Chords and exercises use these numbers everywhere.
Learn Piano for Beginners, One Key at a Time
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.
Play the demoThe twelve notes
Black keys come in groups of two and three. C is the white key just left of each pair, F just left of each group of three. From there, the white keys spell C D E F G A B. A game that shows one note at a time, in any octave, turns this map into a reflex within days.
Your first chords
Put fingers 1, 3 and 5 on C, E and G: that is a C major chord. Move the same shape to F and G and you have three chords that fit hundreds of songs. In ChordRunner a chord name appears and you play it; the game checks every note on a MIDI keyboard or through the microphone.
The levels in ChordRunner
- Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
- Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
- Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
- Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.
Common questions
Can I learn piano from scratch at home?
Yes. A keyboard, ten minutes a day and something that checks your notes are enough to start. Learn the twelve notes first, then three-note chords.
Do I need a full 88-key piano?
No. 61 full-size keys cover everything a beginner plays for a long time.
Should I learn notes or chords first?
Find the notes first, for a few days, then go to chords: they make the keyboard sound like music right away.
Which instruments work?
A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.
How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?
Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.
Is everything in the demo?
The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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