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New Released in April 2026
Learn Piano by Playing a Game, Even Self-Taught
You can learn piano by playing a game, even with no teacher. Self-taught players usually stop for one of two reasons: nobody tells them when something is wrong, and practice gets boring. A game fixes both. Every chord you play is checked at once, and every session has a score to beat. Here is how to teach yourself piano with ChordRunner, week by week.
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
Week 1: the keyboard map
Use the single-note mode: a note appears and you find it, in any octave. By the end of the week C, F and G should take you less than a second. Landmarks help: C sits left of the two black keys, F left of the three.
Week 2: your first four chords
- C, F, G and Am with the right hand, fingers 1, 3 and 5.
- Practice mode first: no lives, the chord notes are shown.
- Then the first level: chords in random order, three lives.
Learn Piano by Playing a Game, Even Self-Taught
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 demoWeek 3: every key, a little faster
Move to the next level when you clear the current one twice in a row. Add a short speed run at the end of each session: it gets faster every minute and changes key every five chords, so your hands stop relying on C major.
Week 4: reading and listening
Add five minutes of sight reading on a real staff and a round of ear training: hear a chord, play it back. Now the game trains eyes, ears and hands together, which is what a teacher would add at this point.
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 you teach yourself piano by playing a game?
Yes, for notes, chords, reading and ear training, if the game checks a real instrument. ChordRunner hears a MIDI keyboard or an acoustic piano and tells you at once when a note is wrong.
How long should each session be?
Ten to fifteen minutes a day. A short daily run beats one long weekend session, and the score shows you the progress.
When do I move to harder chords?
When you clear a level twice in a row. An adaptive mode can also add the next chord family by itself as your hit rate goes up.
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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