Name the black keys as
Computer keyboard layout
The bottom row of letters (Z X C V…) plays the white keys from the lower C, with the black keys on the row above (S D G H J). The top row (Q W E R…) carries on an octave higher, with its black keys on the number row. ← and → move the computer keys down or up an octave, and holding Space works like a sustain pedal. The keys you can reach are marked with a green line along the top of the piano.
🔒 Runs entirely in your browser and keeps working offline once it has loaded. No account and no plug-ins. The piano sound is a recording of a real grand piano; the other sounds are generated on the spot.
How to use it
Click or tap the keys, drag across them for a glissando, or play with your computer keyboard. Pressing further down a key, towards you, plays it a little louder, much like playing nearer the edge of a real key. On a tablet or touch screen you can play with several fingers at once. The panel at the top shows the note, interval or chord you’re holding (with its inversion), so you can check a chord shape without a teacher beside you.
The 61 keys run from C2 to C7, the same range as most 61-key home keyboards, with middle C (C4) in the middle. If the keys are too small on your phone, the strip above them shows the whole keyboard: drag it to slide along. Turn the phone sideways or press Full screen for more room, and use the arrow button next to it to hide the extra controls and give the keys more height.
Ways to practise away from your piano
- Scales and key signatures. Choose a key and a scale under Show on the keys. Each note gets a dot and the root gets a diamond, and the notes are spelled properly for the key (F major has a B♭, not an A♯).
- Chord shapes. Show a chord, play it in each inversion, then hide it and see if you can find it again. The display names whatever you play, so you’ll know when you’ve got it.
- Timing. Start the metronome, set the tempo (or tap it in), and play your scale or piece along with the click. The first beat of each bar is accented.
- Listening back. Press Record, play, press it again to stop, then Play back to hear yourself. Download the take as a
.midfile to open in GarageBand, Logic, MuseScore, FL Studio or any other music app. - Learning the note names. Turn on Every key while you learn, then switch to Just the Cs or None to test yourself.
A computer keyboard can’t teach finger strength or the feel of weighted keys, so treat it as practice for your head and ears: note names, shapes, theory and rhythm. Those are the parts that carry straight back to a real piano.
Which computer keys play which notes?
Some chords won’t play from my computer keyboard
Can I plug in a real MIDI keyboard?
There’s a delay between pressing a key and hearing it
Why is there no sound?
Does it work without the internet?
Can I send a student a scale to practise?
Where does the piano sound come from?
Is anything I play recorded or sent anywhere?
The piano books we use
We bought every one of these ourselves. Kenneth Baker wrote two versions of his course: The Complete Piano Player for a piano or digital piano, and The Complete Keyboard Player for a home keyboard with automatic accompaniment. Pick the one that matches what you play on. Outside Australia? Each book also has an eBay link to a new copy from a seller that posts internationally.
These are affiliate links. The Amazon.com.au links are marked “(paid link)”: as an Amazon Associate, Digital Greenhouse earns from qualifying purchases. The eBay links are marked “(paid link — eBay)”: through the eBay Partner Network, we may be paid if you buy through one. You pay the same price either way.
Learning on a piano or digital piano
The Complete Piano Player is a five-book course for beginners: it starts with your thumb on middle C and teaches reading music through popular songs.
Learning on a home keyboard
The Complete Keyboard Player is the same course written for keyboards with automatic accompaniment, like a 61-key Yamaha or Casio: your right hand plays the tune and your left hand sets off the chords and the backing.