Learn piano with the songs you love

Fulfill your musical dream with flowkey and play your first song today.

• For beginners, returners, and advanced players
• Learn songs in minutes, not weeks
• Works with any piano or keyboard

In Cooperation with

The best new way to learn piano

Learning with flowkey is easy and fun. Practice notes and chords interactively and receive instant feedback. All you need is the flowkey app and your piano or keyboard.

Discover Songs

Over 1,500 songs from every genre and skill level

Wait Mode

Listens to you play and waits for you to hit the right notes

Video & Sheet Music

Watch an expert pianist play and follow sheet music on the same screen

Slow Motion

Play at reduced speed to get comfortable with a piece

Loop Function

Replay a specific section until you perfect it

Select a Hand

Practice right and left hands separately

Play your favorite songs

Learn to play piano with the songs you know and love. Discover beautiful arrangements for all abilities, created by professional pianists.

Step-by-step courses to reach your goals

Easy-to-understand lessons that cover everything from music theory, mastering chords, and how to read sheet music.

Why our users love flowkey

Over 4 million people have enjoyed learning piano with us, from beginners to advanced players.

«It has officially been 1 month since I’ve started my @flowkey_com journey and I’m so glad I decided to jump into it! I’ve really enjoyed this program and so far have learned to play a handful of different songs!»

«Absolutely amazing! It hasn’t costed any money so far unlike my last app and hasn’t had any ads so far.I have learned a lot so far and I just began definitely a five star review from me!»

«Am a retired person who has long been fancying playing piano one day. But seniors could stand no more face to face lessons. Flowkey is by far the most flexible apps that one can work on his own. Particulary I find the arrangements for the songs are much pleasing to my ear, even the simplified songs for beginner level. The songs provided by other apps are very boring, probably they are targeting kids.»

«Cannot recommend it enough, just brilliant

This app has no words. Amazing songs, support is amazing, easy to understand and also brilliant courses make this app shine. I have personally tried some other apps as well, but couldn’t find one that met all of this. It is true that you do need Premium for the real fun, but even without premium, you could still try out a few songs. There are a few apps where you finish one course, and then you HAVE to get the premium plan, else the app’s useless. This meets everything I wanted in learning piano. It helped me learn a whole song that nearly all my friends love. This app is all you need with practice.»

I’ve only been playing the piano a year. Before using this app it took me months to learn a new song. With this app you will learn songs in a third of the time! Or maybe even less. The price is incredibly reasonable given that private instruction can cost up to $60 an hour. I’ve discovered beautiful classical songs on here to play that I would have never encountered before. Whether you want to play an easy pop tune or master an advanced Chopin piece, Flowkey has something for everyone at every level. Flowkey is an essential for all piano students!»

Start for free today

Try flowkey now for free, with no obligations. Get set up in just two minutes and start playing your first songs straight away.

Picking the Best Way to Learn Piano in 2021 (In-Depth Guide)

Chances are, you’re reading this article for one of two reasons.

Either you want to learn how to play the piano for yourself or you want someone else to learn, like your child for instance. Am I right?

You are also reading this article because you don’t know where to start or you want a second opinion, and that’s where we come in.

You have the dream, so we’ll provide the knowledge you need to achieve it. Just sit back, relax, and soak in the material that follows.

After reading this article, you’ll enjoy a broad perspective of all the options available. You’ll also be able to choose the method that suits YOUR life the best, one that matches your goals, budget, time, and other variables.

In the end, you’ll be ready to take action, putting your fingers to the keys and tickling those ivories. Let’s dive in!

New Technologies – New Ways

At eight years old in the 90’s, I wanted to learn piano. My mother searched for teachers in the Yellow Pages (remember those?) and asked for recommendations from friends.

Once we chose a teacher, we scheduled 30-minute lessons and drove to (and from) her private studio weekly. We also bought an old spinet piano with quite a few quirks.

Three decades later, you no longer use the Yellow Pages and your options for learning have multiplied.

Thanks to the internet, you can avoid the time, expense and hassle of traveling to a studio.

Online courses, interactive apps, and live lessons through web chat and video tools bring lessons to your home, making learning the piano more accessible and convenient than ever before.

These developments carry terrific advantages, providing you with interactive, graphical interfaces that can accelerate your understanding and may be especially captivating for children.

“Play the keys as they light up on the screen!”

If you struggle to understand a lesson, you don’t have to wait an entire week for your next lesson, because you can replay the lesson on your computer or phone whenever you like, putting you in control of your learning experience.

Despite these advantages, technological innovations carry potential disadvantages as well.

Video courses and phone apps cannot critique your posture, and they are unable to offer you personalized feedback as a traditional, in-person teacher may do. “You’re sitting too close to the keyboard, Thomas, and your shoulders are too tense!”

Furthermore, learning piano via technology may diminish musical artistry, portraying piano playing as nothing more than a technical exercise rather than an adventure in artistic expression.

So, while technological platforms can make learning piano more interesting, learning from an in-studio instructor can make your journey more inspiring.

That being said, the choice is entirely yours and there is no one right answer. The question is not, “What is the best way to learn piano?” It is, “What is the best way to learn piano for me?”

Choosing The Right Instrument

You can’t drive without a car and you can’t play baseball without a bat and glove. In the same way, you can’t play the piano without a keyboard. But what kind of keyboard will you choose? An acoustic piano or a digital one?

Acoustic pianos stand out as the traditional choice, whether upright or spinet, studio or grand. They offer real mechanical action, give you fuller control of the sound, and produce superior tone and timbre.

So when you press the keys, you can “feel” the small vibrations as the felt hammers strike the metal strings, you can hear the acoustic reverberations of the sound, and you can shape the sound with the pedals as a potter shapes wet clay.

What’s more, when you play a nocturne by Chopin, you know that you are playing the kind of instrument that Chopin himself once played, guaranteeing a more authentic and intimate experience, the kind of musical experience championed by acclaimed musicians like Josef Lhevinne and Andre Watts.

Even so, digital pianos offer exclusive benefits that acoustic pianos fail to provide. They are portable and slim, whereas acoustic pianos are obnoxiously heavy. Digital keyboards do not need tuning, which can be expensive, and are immune to fluctuations in humidity.

They feature volume controls and headphone jacks that equip you to practice in privacy without disturbing people around you.

Many keyboards feature recording capabilities, allowing you to save and replay your performances, and they may even connect to your computer, enabling you to compose original scores through intuitive software like Finale, Sibelius, and more.

Apples to apples (or keyboards to keyboards), you can purchase a digital piano for less $’s than an acoustic one. A low- to mid-tier acoustic piano may cost $3000 – $5000 and more, while a comparable digital alternative may cost you as little as $500 – $2000.

If you had asked me five years ago to choose the better piano option, I would have chosen an acoustic one without hesitation. Today, such dogmatism is no longer possible.

Digital technology has improved so dramatically that unless you plan to be a world-class musician who mesmerizes the crowds at Carnegie Hall, your digital options serve as an equally viable alternative for your musical exploits.

Choosing Your Learning Pathway

Once you’ve selected your instrument, it’s time to start learning for real. As you sort through your options, remember – there’s no one right answer!

In fact, even the best option for you will be imperfect. So let’s survey your choices together and evaluate the pros and cons of each one.

The following list provides you with a range of options, ordered by their degree of traditional or technological elements.

The first set, DIY, features options that use neither technology nor an instructor.

The second set, Traditional, features options guided by an instructor without technology.

The third set, Technological, features options which utilize technology without an instructor.

The final set, Hybrid, features a hybrid option that pairs an instructor and technology together.

Self-Teaching, Do-It-Yourself Methods

• Following standard piano teaching curriculum
• Studying music theory and applying what you learn on the keyboard
• Playing by ear

Traditional Methods

• Taking private lessons with an independent instructor
• Taking private lessons through a piano education center

Technological Methods

• Enrolling in standardized online courses
• Following videos and tutorials
• Utilizing software and apps

A Hybrid Method

• Taking private lessons online

At a glance, which of these options seems best for you? Not sure? Then let’s take a closer look.

Self-Teaching, Do-It-Yourself Methods

These DIY strategies for learning piano remove the “middle man,” saving you a lot of $’s while requiring you to exercise strong personal determination. Are you up to the challenge?

Following Standard Piano Teaching Curriculum

This is the most reliable and wholistic DIY approach because it adheres to established pedagogical (“piano teaching”) curriculum.

If you take this path, choose from mainstays such as Alfred piano methods, Bastien Piano Basics by Kjos, the Faber and Faber Piano Adventures series, and the Suzuki Method. Most piano instructors use methods like these and for good reason.

Music education experts have developed these methods, and these acclaimed curriculums have trained students successfully for generations.

Though each series will distinguish itself from the others by some sort of philosophical or pedagogical nuance, they all tend to follow a similar pattern.

They provide a sequence of books, often beginning with a Primer lever, followed by Level 1, Level 2, etc. Each level usually includes multiple books, such as a lesson book, technique book, theory book, and so on, each designed to work in tandem with the other books of the corresponding level.

Supplemental but optional resources may also be available, including books that feature popular tunes, Christian hymns, performance songs, Christmas melodies, duets and more. As you can see, this DIY method offers many resources.

The books in each series may cost you anywhere from $7 to $30 apiece, though you may be able to save some $’s by purchasing used copies through sites like Amazon or eBay.

By taking this standard curriculum approach, you will receive the most comprehensive DIY learning experience possible at a reasonable price .

Most of these curriculums provide helpful, thorough explanations for important concepts, enhanced by colorful markings and illustrations, helping you to overcome the absence of a teacher.

Even so, you will need to apply yourself diligently. If you don’t understand a concept, then you will have to resort to searching Google or YouTube or to finding a skilled musician who is willing to answer your questions.

Studying Music Theory and Applying What You Learn to the Keyboard

This strategy takes a more minimal approach than a full piano curriculum provides, focusing on music theory alone.

This means that you will focus on the written and structural elements of music, but not on the technique, style and practice of producing sounds on a keyboard (you will have to guess at these latter elements yourself).

Music theory encompasses elements of key signatures, time signatures, notation, chord structures, rhythmic patterns, important symbols, and descriptive words, phrases, and abbreviations.

In summary, this is an academic and mental approach to learning the piano that focuses on the written side of music.

To benefit from this approach, you will need some innate musicality and a heightened personal aptitude for applying and analyzing information in a practical, musical way without outside assistance.

As challenging as this method may seem, it offers some valuable benefits.

For one, it is highly cost-effective.

For nominal $’s, you can purchase the theory books alone from the established curriculums I’ve previously mentioned, while not purchasing the methods and technique books, too.

You can also opt to purchase a book devoted to explaining piano theory in a thorough and straightforward way, such as The Complete Book of Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences by Willard Palmer.

Besides affordability, this approach equips you to play the piano in an intelligent manner. You will learn to think carefully about the music that you play.

In summary, you should view this method as playing by ear “on steroids.” You will learn to produce musical sounds and songs, knowing what you are playing on the keyboard and why you are playing it that way.

But you will not learn how to sit, how to position your arms and hands, how to press the keys, how to pull off difficult progressions, and how to express yourself as maturely as possible.

Playing by Ear

If learning to play piano with music theory alone is playing by ear “on steroids,” then playing by ear is … well, um … playing by ear without steroids.

This approach will only satisfy the most experimental learner because you will learn nothing more than what you can discover for yourself, and even then, you won’t even know what you’ve discovered.

As you might guess, this stands out as the most affordable option because you will pay no teacher and you will buy no books or curriculum. (If you want some curriculum for following this approach, then check out Hear and Play)

But the greatest disadvantage of this approach is also clear – you will receive no help or outside assistance apart from yourself.

To play existing music by ear, you must listen carefully and repeatedly to the songs you wish to play. Then you must attempt to play those songs on your keyboard by trial and error, working out the melody first, then adding additional notes and harmony later.

To play new music, you must imagine the sounds in your mind first. Then you must experiment aloud to see if you can match those sounds on the keyboard.

For an even more barebones approach, just play around on the keyboard and see what comes out. Then keep on playing until you discover some sounds you like and go from there!

The blunt reality is this – unless you are a disciplined musical genius, this approach will not take you very far on your musical journey.

But if your musical goals are low, and you only wish to “plunk out” a few tunes here and there for some casual fun, then bookmark our webpage, save your money, and give this method a try.

If you find yourself wanting more over time, revisit this page to choose your next step. We’ll be here for you!

Very affordable (often free) Fully Flexible (choose whatever style or genre you like) Learn at your own pace Low commitment No need to travel

No feedback (no one will be there to correct your mistakes or give advice) No interaction No external motivation

Traditional Methods

These traditional methods benefit from the personal guidance of an instructor.

Though these methods require additional $’s and time, they also provide a higher degree of accountability and insight along the way. Do you desire the payoff that this serious approach will provide?

Taking Private Lessons with an Independent Instructor

If you have money to spend and if you crave the mentorship advantages and personal accountability that a skilled instructor offers, then you should give serious attention to this time-honored approach.

So, how should you begin?

For highest quality instruction, you should first consult the Music Teachers National Association.

MTNA offers an online form that enables you to locate certified teachers within a 20-mile radius of your home address, providing you with a list of names, phone numbers and email addresses for nearby instructors.

You can follow a similar approach using The Royal Conservatory teacher finder tool.

For a more grassroots approach, you can consult an online resource like TakeLessons.com, which provides informative bios and a map of pre-screened teachers in your area.

You can also try the “word of mouth” approach, asking your neighbors, colleagues, or friends for recommendations.

If you are involved in the homeschooling community, your local co-op may be an excellent source for “word of mouth” referrals.

Certified MTNA instructors may also provide quality referrals if you ask them to recommend former students of their own who may be available to teach you lessons; though these instructors may not be listed in the certified directory, they may be just as skilled as their certified mentors and – best of all – they may be more affordable as well.

Private instructors provide you with distinct advantages.

Though they will likely use a standard pedagogical curriculum (like Bastien, Alfred, Faber and Faber or Suzuki), they will adapt these materials to meet your individual needs and pace of learning, providing you with personal accountability by monitoring your weekly practice routine.

They will also offer personalized advice and answer whatever questions you may have, combining standardized curriculum with customized, supplemental resources.

Private instructors will give you insightful guidance and critique regarding your posture, technique and musicality which most other methods are unable to provide. They also will be able to guide you into more advanced learning once you complete the standardized curriculum.

What’s more, some teachers can provide you with performance opportunities like occasional group masterclasses and public recitals, expanding your personal development.

With all of these advantages in view, the greatest disadvantage (and obstacle) to this approach will be cost.

In addition to purchasing printed materials (see Following Standard Piano Teaching Curriculum), you will also need to pay your instructor.

You should anticipate rates ranging from $30 to $60 or more for a weekly 30-minute lesson. 45- and 60-minute lessons will cost more.

You should also account for travel expenses. Instructors who travel to their students’ homes usually charge an additional fee to cover their travel costs.

If you travel to your instructor’s studio instead, you should account for your own travel expenses. Additional fees may also apply.

Taking Private Lessons through a Piano Education Center

Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a music school or education center. This option resembles Lessons with a Private Instructor in many ways.

Education centers tend to follow standard curriculums, especially the Suzuki method. They provide you with skilled instructors, offering a personalized learning pace, individual accountability, and answers to your questions, while giving insights into all things piano, including theory, technique, posture and musicality.

In some cases, these centers may grant you access to a broader array of cutting-edge resources as well as to more performance (recital) and group-learning (master class) opportunities than an independent, private teacher may be able to provide.

If you value collaborative, group learning, but still need intensive, individualized instruction, then this option may be for you. But before you sign on, be sure to ask some important questions.

How does the education center screen its teachers? Are they certified by the MTNA or some other reputable board?

Not all learning centers are created equal.

Do they make public resumes, CVs, or bios for their teachers available for prospective parents or students to review beforehand? While some centers screen their teachers very well, others may hire college students with minimal music skills on a part-time basis.

Also, be aware that a piano or music education center may be costlier than a highly-qualified independent instructor. In addition to paying their teachers, these centers also need to cover the costs of general administration, promotion, and facility management.

For an example of what a learning center like this can offer, check out Keys to Success, a reputable music-learning hub in New York City.

You can also check out Sage Music School, a comparable learning outlet. Then search Google for comparable options in your community and request a tour of the facility and a private test-drive, consultation session.

Personalized feedback and interaction Curriculum adapted to your progress Ability to ask questions and get prompt answers Additional incentive to practice Teacher can demonstrate the correct way to play, position your hands, fingers, etc.

Costly Inflexible schedule Limited selection of teachers/centers (geographic factor) Requires you to travel to the teacher’s location (in most cases) Can be hard to find a good teacher, especially if you want to learn some non-classical styles

Technological Methods

Like the Traditional Methods, these approaches retain the “middle man,” but they differ by replacing a personal instructor with technological tools instead, utilizing internet and software resources to guide you on your journey.

Though these options offer a more engaging learning experience than ordinary DIY methods will do, they still require a strong degree of inner tenacity to keep on watching (the videos), keep on clicking (your mouse), and keep on pressing those keys. So, do technological tools inspire you to do this?

Enrolling in Standardized Online Courses

We live in a world of proliferating online education. To learn new things, we no longer need to attend a brick-and-mortar classroom. We can log on to our computers to receive our education instead. These innovations extend to learning keyboard skills.

Piano for All is one such online venue. This innovative platform is “designed to take complete beginners to an intermediate level faster than any other method.”

For a one-time payment of $79, you receive 9 e-books, 500 audio files, 200 video lessons, email support, and lifetime updates.

The videos are especially helpful because they show you what it looks to play the music you are learning, using visuals of both real hands on the keyboard and colored keys for the notes you play.

Ultimately, this program teaches you to play in an improvisational way (a sophisticated version of “winging it”). It does not teach you to tackle pure sight-reading (like playing Bach or Beethoven). But if improvising is your goal and you are a visual and audible learner, then Piano for All may prove significantly more helpful than reading a printed book on music theory.

For a more comprehensive approach which focuses on traditional piano playing, I recommend the reputable online platform Zebra Keys.

This free resource offers an extensive array of step-by-step pre-recorded video “lessons” with a human instructor sitting at a keyboard. Some videos also include helpful, graphical visuals for how to play chords, scales and specific songs.

In addition to these videos, you will benefit from a variety of other tools and resources, such as downloadable sheet music, a “note trainer,” “interval ear trainer,” informative articles, and more. Best of all, it’s all free!

As with any online courses, Zebra Keys does not offer personalized feedback. Furthermore, it teaches from a digital keyboard and not an acoustic piano, so it will fall short in the musicality department.

But if you’re using a digital keyboard anyway, you’re an audible and visual learner, and you have a strong determination to succeed, this resource may outshine the standard printed curriculum approach at no financial cost to you.

A paid and newly-developed alternative to this approach is Hoffman Academy, offering a plethora of resource, including personalized daily practice instructions and fun interactive games. You should take a peak!

On one hand, learning the piano through standardized online courses requires a measure of DIY determination because this approach fails to offer the accountability and personalized input that an in-studio instructor provides.

On the other hand, this approach offers a flexible, reputable format enhanced by helpful video demos and an array of auxiliary tools – something that a standard, printed curriculum cannot provide.

Before you choose this route, however, be sure that you’re prepared to follow through. No matter how intuitive and engaging the videos and resources may be, you will have to log serious, personal effort no matter what.

Practice makes perfect, and no curriculum can do your practice for you.

Following Videos and Tutorials

Learning keyboard or piano skills this way resembles standardized online classes, but it differs due to a more bare-bones approach. Rather than offering a multifaceted toolset, this approach centers exclusively on sequential, prerecorded video presentations.

If you prefer online video learning, but you also prefer a simplified approach without the “bells and whistles,” then consider this learning path. If you do, you will encounter a variety of options.

To be sure, you will find many free options for learning keyboard skills on YouTube. As you would expect, teaching quality will range from terrible to excellent.

To learn basic piano theory and keyboard skills, the Piano Keyboard Guide is promising.

The video instructor, Mantius Cazaubon, also offers an array of focused keyboard classes at Udemy for as little as $18 per class. You will find other worthwhile video-learning options at Udemy as well.

Before you commit to a free YouTube or paid Udemy track, you should explore your options at Lynda.com as well.

This is a growing, professional video-training treasure trove provided by LinkedIn Learning offering a promising set of options. To sign on, you must subscribe for as little as $25 per month.

Beyond this, other independent options include sites like Piano in 21 Days (which focuses on teaching you to improvise and use chords to play popular songs) and Playground Sessions, and the list is growing every day.

Playground Sessions platform has been around for more than 7 years, and today it’s one of the most reputable piano learning software out there.

It doesn’t just offer video lessons, but is actually a combination of two approaches, since it uses video lessons together with the piano learning software which brings back that interactive element to the learning process.

The software was co-created by the legendary Quincy Jones (all-time most nominated Grammy artist) and includes lessons for all levels – from complete beginners to advanced musicians.

One of the main features of the platform is that you get to learn music theory using famous contemporary songs as well as all-time classics.

Aside from hundreds of lessons, you will get a very extensive music library with hundreds of songs of virtually any genre.

Just pick the song you want to learn and follow an interactive music sheet as well as a graphic on-screen keyboard that will show you the exact keys you need to play and the fingers you should use.

The biggest advantage of such software platforms is that you will be able to connect your keyboard or digital piano directly to the app (via computer, tablet, etc.) and get instant feedback on your playing.

Before you enroll in any of these courses, first evaluate any video previews and comb through the information on each site to be sure that the option you’re considering suits your goals and style.

Each resource tends to target a specific niche, such as keyboard basics, improvisational style, playing popular tunes, etc. If possible, look for online reviews to see whether previous users have enjoyed a positive experience.

Utilizing Software and Apps

Learning keyboard skills through software and apps incorporates videos and other features, as the previous online learning methods will do, but they do so with a special twist.

Flowkey’s user interface

They endeavor to harness the power of computer technology beyond videos and downloadable PDFs. Three popular choices from this arena include FlowKey, Skoove, and Piano Marvel.

With variations, these options teach basic keyboard concepts and enable you to play a wide range of popular tunes. Many of them do not teach comprehensive music theory, sight-reading, improvisational style, or sight-reading skills.

Nevertheless, these software alternatives stand out for two noteworthy reasons.

First, they provide dedicated software and apps across popular operating systems, including Windows (via Microsoft store), Mac OS (via the iTunes app store), Android (via Google Play), and – in some cases – even Steam, making these learning resources available on your computers, tablets and phones.

These programs also feature plug-in connectivity enabling you to sync your electronic keyboard to your phone, tablet, or computer.

This enables your device to “hear” what you are playing and provide constructive, interactive feedback along the way, with corresponding, onscreen visuals such as finger hints, misplayed notes and hand assignments.

Online videos cannot provide this feature. Furthermore, some of these options (such as Synthesia) even offer support for lighted keyboards, illuminating the keys to your song in real time.

If your keyboard-playing goals focus exclusively on playing popular tunes and you are using an electronic keyboard with necessary ports, then you may want to consider these relatively inexpensive software options.

If you choose one of these options, be aware that the combination of electronic keyboards with a software driven approach tends to portray learning the piano as a technical and digital experience, which threatens to diminish the value of musicality.

In a limited way, many video classes overcome this challenge because the instructor often records from an acoustic piano, providing the student with a more sophisticated and expressive experience. So, if musicality is a goal of yours, then you should consider a different approach.