Questions.
About the course, your piano, plans and payments, and your account.
Do I need a MIDI keyboard?
No. Every exercise plays back with the notes lit up, and you play along on any piano. A digital piano connected by USB can also check your playing (coming in a later update), on Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a computer, and in our app on iPad.
Can I use an acoustic piano?
Yes, for reading, playback and the metronome. Checking your playing needs a keyboard with MIDI; we do not listen through the microphone, because wrong marks are worse than none.
What level do I need to start?
None. Before You Begin and Volume 1 start from the first note. If you already read a little, try the checkpoint at the end of a unit: if you pass it, move on.
Which devices does it work on?
Any modern browser on a computer, tablet or phone. The score scales to the screen; on a laptop or iPad on the music stand it is easy to read from the bench. Light and dark themes.
Can I print the books?
Yes. Volume 1 is a free PDF. Members can download every book and unit, ready to print.
Is it for children?
It was written for adults teaching themselves. A parent or teacher can use it with an older child, but the explanations speak to grown-ups.
How do I cancel?
From your account page, in two clicks. Refunds within 14 days, no questions asked. There is no lifetime plan: if the course ever closes you get 30 days' notice and a refund for unused months of a yearly plan.
What is free?
Before You Begin, all of Volume 1, the daily exercise and 16 openly licensed repertoire pieces. With a free account you also get progress tracking and 3 practice exercises a day.
Plans, payments and your account
Who takes the payment?
Paddle, our reseller. Paddle is the merchant of record: it charges your card or PayPal, adds the VAT or sales tax where you live, and sends the receipt. We never see your card.
Can I change from monthly to yearly?
Yes, from your account page: it opens Paddle’s customer portal, where you can change the plan, the card, or cancel.
What happens if I cancel?
You keep everything until the end of the period you paid for. Then the free part stays open, and your progress is kept.
What if a payment fails?
Paddle tries again over the next days and tells you by email. You keep access for a few days while it does.
Do I need an account?
Not for Before You Begin, Volume 1 and the daily exercise. A free account (just your email address) keeps your progress and gives you practice exercises. There are no passwords: we send you a sign-in link, or you can use Google.
Can I get my data, or delete my account?
Yes, both from your account page: one button gives you everything we hold about you as a file, another deletes the account.
Why are some pieces free?
Sixteen pieces in Books 7A and 7B come from engravings shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence, so our versions are shared the same way: free for everyone.
How old do I need to be?
Accounts are for people aged 16 or over. A parent or teacher can use the course with a younger player.
Something else? Write to [email protected]. The details are in the terms, the privacy policy and the refund policy.