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New Released in April 2026
Piano Chords for Kids: Start With C, F and G
A piano chord is just three keys pressed together. The easiest piano chords for kids are C, F and G major: all white keys, and all built the same way, by skipping one key between each finger.
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
The skip-one-key trick
Put the thumb on a white key, skip one, middle finger down, skip one, little finger down. Starting on C you get C, E, G: the C chord. Start on F and you get F, A, C. Start on G and you get G, B, D. Same hand shape every time.
Three chords, many songs
C, F and G are the three main chords of the key of C. With just these three, a child can accompany a huge number of simple melodies. Play them in the order C, F, G, C and listen to how the last C sounds like home.
Piano Chords for Kids: Start With C, F and G
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 demoThen the sad chords
Move the middle finger one key down and the chord turns minor: C becomes Cm. Try Am too (A, C, E), another all-white chord. Children usually hear the difference at once: major sounds happy, minor sounds sad. A fun test: play one of the two with eyes closed and let your child guess which it was.
Make it a game
In ChordRunner the chord name appears and your child plays it on a keyboard; the first level is exactly these major chords. The practice mode shows which keys to press.
Common questions
What piano chords should kids learn first?
C, F and G major: all white keys, same hand shape (thumb, skip a key, middle finger, skip a key, little finger).
How do you explain a chord to a child?
Three keys pressed at the same time, with one key skipped between each finger.
What does my child need to play ChordRunner?
A browser (Chrome or Edge) on a computer, tablet or phone, plus a USB MIDI keyboard, or a piano or guitar the microphone can hear. The on-screen keys let you try it first.
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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