Zapiano® – piano keys close-up

THE FOUNDATION COURSE

Piano Starter 1

Learn to play the piano with the Zapiano® Method, step by step and at your own pace.

  • Immediate access to the course material
  • 10 modules
  • Downloadable sheet music included
  • Support is included: I answer your questions about the lessons personally
  • Cancel your subscription at any time with just 1 click

Note: This course is in English.

How you learn

01

Step by step

Clearly structured modules guide you through the basics. You always know where you stand and what comes next.

02

100% clear

If anything is unclear, I answer your question myself.

03

At your own pace

You learn in your browser or in the Zapiano® App. All you need is your piano and off you go.

COURSE CONTENT

What you learn in Piano Starter 1

Here you can see all modules and lessons of the course.

Piano Starter 1

  1. Module 1 - The Basics of Piano Playing

    25 lessons
    1. Get an overview of the keyboard
    2. Play without pain (important!!)
    3. The correct posture at the piano
    4. The tones of the white keys
    5. Playing the first 5 notes
    6. Introduction to music notation - Part 1
    7. Learn to read the first 5 notes
    8. Hearing the first 5 notes
    9. The first 3 chords with the left hand
    10. The first 3 chords with the right hand
    11. Learn to hear the 3 chords
    12. Hear the 3 chords & the 5 notes together (Magic!)
    13. Introduction to music notation - Part 2
    14. What does pulse mean?
    15. Hear & feel the pulse
    16. What does beat & tempo mean?
    17. Perceiving the units of time by ear
    18. Understanding note values & rhythms
    19. The rhythm pyramid
    20. Train note values & rhythms
    21. What does reading music mean?
    22. The special thing about the rhythms & chords
    23. "Beginner's Song" - first melodies from sheet music
    24. "Beginner's Song" C-F - melodies from sheet music - "play with me!"
    25. Summary of Module 1
  2. Module 2 - First Songs & Improvisation

    17 lessons
    1. The difference between classical & modern piano playing
    2. How to simplify the 3 chords
    3. Why we don't use a metronome at first
    4. Training to read music - Part 1
    5. Training to read music - Part 2
    6. Finger exercises - Part 1
    7. "Beginner's Song" with simple sheet music examples - Part 1
    8. "Beginner's Song" with simple sheet music examples - Part 2
    9. Where we can and can't vary
    10. "Beginner's Song" - start varying now - Part 1
    11. "Beginner's Song" - start varying now - part 2
    12. Music also consists of Pauses
    13. Your first Improvisation
    14. "Beginner's Song" my Improvisation as Inspiration
    15. "First Song" - piece by sheet music
    16. Independence of the Hands - Part 1
    17. Summary of Module 2
  3. Module 3 - Bass Notes, Song Accompaniment, Accompanying by Ear & Using the Pedal

    20 lessons
    1. "Merrily we roll along" - the whole piece from sheet
    2. What to do if the harmonies at the top are missing?
    3. Bass tones instead of chords
    4. The Alternating Bass
    5. "Merrily we roll along" - the whole piece incl. bass notes and chords
    6. From melody playing to accompanying instrument
    7. What does Independence & Simultaneity mean?
    8. Feel independent and sing at the same time
    9. How to bring momentum to a simple piece and make it resonate
    10. How to recognize the chords by ear
    11. Learn to accompany "Twinkle Twinkle little Star" by ear
    12. Accompany "Twinkle Twinkle little Star" on the Piano
    13. Accompany simple songs by ear
    14. Learn to accompany "Tom Dooley" by ear
    15. How the pedal works
    16. Using the pedal correctly (Harmonics) - Part 1
    17. Your second Improvisation
    18. Finger exercises - Part 2
    19. Independence of the Hands - Part 2
    20. Summary of Module 3
  4. Module 4 - New Songs, Under and Over Crossing, Eighth Notes

    23 lessons
    1. Identifying the Fingers
    2. Crossing Under and Over
    3. Reading music - Part 3 - The appearance of note stems
    4. The expansion of the tonal range - Part 1
    5. Practicing reading music - Part 3 - 'f - c'
    6. "Twinkle Twinkle little star" the melody with crossing under and over
    7. "Twinkle Twinkle little Star" - the whole piece from sheet
    8. "Twinkle Twinkle little Star" - play with me
    9. "Twinkle Twinkle little Star" - variations with the harmony
    10. "Twinkle Twinkle little Star" - melodic variations
    11. The expansion of the tonal range - Part 2
    12. Practicing reading music - Part 4 - g-d`
    13. The Pickup
    14. "Amazing Grace" - Introduction & correct fingerings
    15. "Amazing Grace" - sing & accompany
    16. "Amazing Grace" - all together
    17. "Amazing Grace" - improvise a new melody
    18. What are eighth notes and how do we count them?
    19. Eighth notes on the piano
    20. "Frère Jacques" - accompany by ear
    21. "Frère Jacques" - play from sheet music
    22. Finger exercises - Part 3
    23. Summary of Module 4
  5. Module 5 - New Song, Chord Inversions, Feeling the Pulsation

    19 lessons
    1. The chord inversion for the chords C, F and G
    2. Understand chord inversions correctly & use them creatively
    3. The chord inversion workout
    4. The difference between simple songs and modern pieces
    5. Feeling pulse part 1 - understanding & practicing
    6. Feeling pulse part 2 - correct application
    7. "Oh when the saints" - the eagle's eye view of a new piece
    8. How you don't have to be afraid of a blackout
    9. "Oh when the saints" - from the eagle eye to memorizing the form
    10. "Oh when the saints" - learning to feel pulse
    11. "Oh when the saints" - play the melody correctly in time
    12. "Oh when the saints" - played all together by heart
    13. "Oh when the saints" - learning to accompany the piece
    14. "Oh when the saints" - the melody with alternating bass
    15. "Oh when the saints" - alternating bass & chords in the breaks
    16. "Oh when the saints" - a different kind of alternating bass
    17. "Oh when the saints" - the whole piece with chord inversions
    18. "Oh when the saints" - with stride piano accompaniment (only for aspiring professionals!)
    19. Summary of Module 5
  6. Module 6 - Minor Chords, Step Chords, New Song, Arpeggios

    24 lessons
    1. Learn to feel the rhythm on 3 levels
    2. The independence of the hands - Part 3
    3. Practicing counting eighth notes correctly
    4. How you sound when you feel the pulse correctly
    5. The difference between minor & major
    6. Where are the minor chords on the keyboard?
    7. House with tones results in the diatonic chords
    8. Understanding the structure of diatonic chords
    9. The diatonic chords on the piano
    10. Changing pitch ranges and securing the octave - Part 1
    11. Changing pitch ranges and securing the octave - Part 2
    12. Practicing reading music - Part 5 - c' to c'' - 2 pitch ranges
    13. How the pedal works - Part 2
    14. What is an arpeggio?
    15. The use of arpeggios
    16. "Drops" - gaining an overview
    17. "Drops" - the melody
    18. "Drops" - the piece by notes in a simple way
    19. "Drops" - the piece with variations in the left hand - part 1
    20. "Drops" - the piece with variations in the left hand - part 2
    21. "Drops" - creatively shaping the piece and changing the melody
    22. "Drops" - the whole piece performed
    23. Finger exercises - Part 4
    24. Summary of Module 6
  7. Module 7 - Chord Progressions with Inversions, Minor Chords, New Song

    20 lessons
    1. From chord inversion to voice leading - Part 1
    2. From chord inversion to voice leading - Part 2
    3. From chord inversion to voice leading - Part 3
    4. From chord inversion to voice leading - part 4 - left hand
    5. Combining the sound of chord inversions and arpeggios
    6. Combining simple rhythms and arpeggios
    7. Mastering minor chords and their inversions
    8. The chord workout for minor chords
    9. Internalize minor chords and 5 tones by ear
    10. Minor chords Play with me
    11. Scales & fingerings over all diatonic chords
    12. "Joy to the World" - gain an overview
    13. "Joy to the World" - work on fingerings
    14. "Joy to the world" - enrich the melody with bass notes
    15. "Joy to the World" - play the piece from sheet music
    16. "Joy to the World" - a little trick to sound better immediately
    17. Combine "Joy to the World" with arpeggios
    18. "Joy to the World" - vary the piece with the left hand
    19. Independence of the hands - Part 4
    20. Summary of Module 7
  8. Module 8 - 1-5-8 Arpeggios, Arpeggio Variations, Song Accompaniment

    22 lessons
    1. From the bass note to the 1-5-8 arpeggio - Part 1
    2. From the bass note to the 1-5-8 arpeggio - Part 2
    3. The advantages and disadvantages of the notations
    4. Understanding chord inversions & melodies in the right hand
    5. Enrich melodies with chords - now it starts to sound professional
    6. The decisive advantage of the Zapiano® method
    7. Variations on arpeggios - Part 1
    8. Variations on arpeggios - Part 2
    9. Variations on arpeggios - Part 3
    10. The basic principle for creating piano accompaniments
    11. How you can vary the piano accompaniment within a song
    12. Play arpeggios with both hands
    13. "Minor Mood" - gaining an overview
    14. "Minor Mood" - the Melody
    15. "Minor Mood" - the harmonies with possible variations
    16. "Minor Mood" - my example of how I used the variations
    17. "Minor Mood" - Basic version from sheet music
    18. "Minor Mood" - how to play freely with it
    19. "Minor Mood" - the piece played as inspiration
    20. "Minor Mood" - freely improvised as inspiration
    21. Finger exercises - Part 5
    22. Summary of Module 8
  9. Module 9 - Offbeat, Polyphony, Four-Part Harmony

    21 lessons
    1. Understanding the dotted note - Part 1
    2. The dotted note on the piano - Part 2
    3. Learning to practice the dotted note on the piano
    4. The offbeat - part 1 explained on the whiteboard
    5. The offbeat - part 2 learning to feel
    6. The offbeat - part 3 on the piano
    7. How polyphony is notated
    8. "Nature Morning" - overview and playing the piece as a basic version
    9. "Nature Morning" - variations in the left hand
    10. "Nature Morning" - improvised freely over it - first version
    11. "Nature Morning" - improvised freely over it - second version
    12. Now it's getting jazzy - what are tetrachords?
    13. "Sunset with you" - gain an overview
    14. "Sunset with you" - by sheet music
    15. "Sunset with you" - add embellishments (grace note)
    16. "Sunset with you" - enriched with variations
    17. Learning to hear tetrachords & the 5 tones
    18. "Sunset with you" - freely improvised with arpeggios
    19. "Sunset with you" - freely improvised with the corresponding scales
    20. "Sunset with you" - free improvisation as inspiration
    21. Summary of Module 9
  10. Module 10 - Syncopation, the Most Common Chord Connection

    29 lessons
    1. What is a syncopation?
    2. Syncopation in practice
    3. Understanding the tie
    4. The most important rhythm in modern music
    5. Syncopation in arpeggios - Part 1
    6. Syncopation in arpeggios - Part 2
    7. Syncopation in arpeggios - Part 3
    8. Improvisation over C and F with syncopation
    9. The independence of the hands - Part 5
    10. "Tom Dooley" - the difference when a melody is syncopated
    11. "Tom Dooley" - where you can use syncopations
    12. "Tom Dooley" - now syncopated on the piano
    13. "Tom Dooley" - play the melody like a singer
    14. "Tom Dooley" - improvise freely over it
    15. "Tom Dooley" - examples of improvisation
    16. The most common chord combinations - Part 1
    17. The diminished chord
    18. The most common chord progression - Part 2
    19. Quintfall - exploring possibilities with the left hand
    20. "Family of Chords" - melodies and fingerings
    21. "Family of Chords" - melodies with simple accompaniment
    22. "Family of Chords" - arranging melodies in two voices
    23. "Family of Chords" - Melodies incl. arpeggios in the left hand - Part 1
    24. "Family of Chords" - Melodies incl. arpeggios in the left hand - Part 2
    25. "Family of Chords" - Melodies incl. arpeggios & additional chords in the right hand
    26. "Family of Chords" - all possible creative combinations
    27. "Family of Chords" - the whole piece played creatively
    28. Summary of Module 10
    29. What happens now?

YOUR TEACHER

I am Sven Haefliger

I have been teaching online since 2011, and 26,000 students have learned with the Zapiano® Method. What matters to me is that you build a solid foundation step by step and discover real joy in playing the piano.

I answer questions about the lessons in the courses personally.

Signature Sven Haefliger

Sven Haefliger, founder of Zapiano®

AS SEEN IN

TEDx
Kawai
Tages-Anzeiger
50plus
Flowcast

QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions

Zapiano® by activ music GmbH · Langächerstr. 10 · CH-8907 Wettswil

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use