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New Released in April 2026
Learning Piano After Guitar: A Head Start, Not a Shortcut
Learning piano after guitar is easier than starting from zero. Your chord names, rhythm and ear all transfer. What is new is the layout: on piano every note sits in a line, both hands play different jobs, and the same chord can be voiced in many more ways.
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
What you already have
- Chord names and what they sound like.
- Rhythm and a sense of song structure.
- Probably some theory: keys, I IV V, maybe capo transposing.
- An ear for when a chord is wrong.
What is new
- Two hands with different jobs: bass in the left, chord in the right.
- Choosing voicings: on guitar shapes decide the voicing; on piano you choose.
- All keys look different: no moveable barre shape to slide.
- Often reading, if you want classical or written arrangements.
Learning Piano After Guitar: A Head Start, Not a Shortcut
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 demoA four-week plan
- Week 1: the chords you know on guitar, as piano triads in the right hand.
- Week 2: add the root in the left hand.
- Week 3: inversions, so changes move as little as possible.
- Week 4: your favourite guitar progressions, now on piano, in two keys.
Use the same game for both
ChordRunner works with guitar through the microphone and with a piano or MIDI keyboard. Play a round on guitar, then the same chords on piano: the chord names stay, only the hands change, which is the fastest way to move what you know.
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
Is it hard to learn piano after guitar?
Easier than from zero. Chords, rhythm and ear transfer; two-hand coordination and voicing are the new skills.
How do I play guitar chords on piano?
Use the same chord name: G is G B D on piano. Play it in the right hand and the root G in the left.
Should guitarists learn to read music for piano?
Only if you want written arrangements or classical pieces. For songs and accompaniment, chord symbols are enough.
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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