Day 1 - The White Keys
Exercise 1.1
Play and say C, D, E, F, G in sequence, starting with your thumb and continuing with each successive finger. Now move your hand to the right so that your thumb is on A. Play and say A, B, C, D, E in the same way.
Exercise 1.2
Find the white key on command. You can use flash cards or the audio exercise below. In the audio exercise, you will hear my voice calling out one of the white keys at a time, in a random order. Listen and play each note with your right thumb after I say its name. Try to find each new note before I call out the next one. Once you can keep up with the fastest version of the audio exercise, you’re ready for Day 2.
Day 2 - Intro to Major Chords
Exercise 2.1
Practice the three chords we learned today using flash cards or the audio exercise below. In the audio exercise, you will hear my voice calling out either “C major”, “F major”, or “G major” in a random order. Play each chord after you hear its name. Practice this until you can keep up with the fastest version of the exercise.
Exercise 2.2
I’d like to introduce you to a new, fun, and exciting way to practice: backing tracks. A backing track is a version of the song featuring other musical instruments that is designed for you to play along with. It will also show you which chords to play and when. In this exercise, you will play along with the first backing track I have for you.
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Exercise 2.3
Play along with the second backing track. This one also uses only the three chords we have learned so far.
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Exercise 2.4
In this exercise, you will play along with the “12-Bar Blues” backing track. 12-Bar Blues is a very popular chord progression and has a bluesy, jazzy feel to it.
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Exercise 2.5
Watch “The 4-Chord Song” by The Axis of Awesome. This is a fun video that will really show you the power of chords, and we’ll discuss it more on Day 3.
Day 3 - Intro to Minor Chords
Exercise 3.1
Use the audio exercise to practice the three new chords you learned today: D minor, E minor, and A minor.
Exercise 3.2
Use the audio exercise to practice all six chords we have learned to this point.
Exercise 3.3
Play along with the backing track, which includes all six chords we have learned at this point.
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Exercise 3.4
Play along with the backing track, which is essentially “The 4-Chord Song.”
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Day 4 - Adding the Left Hand
Exercise 4.1
Use the audio exercise to practice all six chords we have learned to this point while adding in the left hand.
Exercise 4.2
Play along with the backing track, which includes all six chords we have learned at this point, and add in the left hand.
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Exercise 4.3
Play along with the backing track (“The 4-Chord Song”) like you did on Day 3, but this time add in the left hand. Play each chord one time before playing the next chord.
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Exercise 4.4
Play along with the backing track from exercise 4.3 again, but this time play each chord two times before moving on to the next chord. So, for example, when the backing track shows C, you should play the C-major chord twice before the track moves to G. Make sure the chords are all evenly spaced and that you keep the beat.
Exercise 4.5
Play along with the backing track again, but this time play each chord four times before moving on to the next chord.
Exercise 4.6
Repeat the previous exercise, but this time do not use the backing track. Practice the “4-Chord Song” chord progression, playing each chord four times before moving on to the next chord. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: the timing between all the chords should be the same. For example, the time between playing a C-major chord and another C-major chord should be the same as the time between playing a C-major chord and a G-major chord. It is critical we get this timing down from the start. Play as slowly as you need to in order to get the correcting timing.
Day 5 – Hand Coordination & Rhythm
Exercise 5.1
Using the backing track, play your left hand on every beat and your right hand on just the 2 and the 4.
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Exercise 5.2
Use the backing track above, but this time you choose the pattern. Select which beats you’ll play with your left hand and which beats you’ll play with your right hand.
Exercise 5.3
Use the backing track above, but this time play your left hand on the 1 and the 4 and your right hand on the 1 and the 3. This is a fun pattern, and I want you to get really comfortable with it.
Exercise 5.4
Repeat the pattern from exercise 5.3, but this time without the backing track. Really focus on consistent timing and on not sneaking in any extra time while changing to a new chord.
Day 6 and Beyond
I hope you've enjoyed the first five days of the course.
If you'd like to continue this journey and learn the entire Piano In 21 Days system, I want to invite you to enroll in the full program.
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