Ivory Readerread, place, play

This session 0Correct –Streak 0Speed –
Computer keys A to G answer by letter. Any key moves on after a mistake.
How to read faster: landmarks, not mnemonics

Rhymes work at first but they make you count. Memorise a few landmark notes, then read neighbours as "one above" or "one below" the landmark.

Treble landmarksTreble G sits on the line the clef curls around. Middle C hangs one ledger line below. Top-space G is where the staff ends.
Bass landmarksBass F sits between the two dots of the clef. Middle C hangs one ledger line above. Bottom-line G is where the staff starts.
Treble lines, if you mustE G B D F. Spaces spell F A C E.
Bass lines, if you mustG B D F A. Spaces A C E G.

C position

Left handRight hand

Fingers are numbered the same on both hands: thumb 1, index 2, middle 3, ring 4, little finger 5. Tap a key to hear it.

Before you play, check

  • Sit tall, forearms level with the keys, elbows slightly in front of your body.
  • Hand shape like holding a small orange. Knuckles up, fingers curved, play with fingertips.
  • Wrist level, not dropped below the keys and not raised.
  • Thumb plays on its side, on the corner of the nail. It does not lie flat.
  • Shoulders down. If they creep up, stop and shake out your arms.
  • Find middle C by feel: it is the white key just left of the two black keys nearest the maker's name.

Finger drill

Which finger plays this note in C position, right hand?

Listen plays the piece at the metronome tempo. Play along clicks through the piece at that tempo while you play; a key within a third of a beat counts as on time, and with one hand chosen the app plays the other. Wait mode lights the next keys and waits until you play every one of them. Moving line draws a line that rides the beat across the score in Listen and Play along; Wait mode has no clock, so it has no line. Slow is the point: the tempo is yours. Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.

Add a piece: from a photo, or by typing the notation

From a photo of sheet music

Photo transcription works when this page is opened on claude.ai, where the page can ask Claude to read the image. In this copy, type the notation, or send the photo to Claude in chat and paste the notation it gives you.

Notation

This app has more than one copy (claude.ai and your GitHub Pages install), and each keeps its own saved pieces. To move a piece between them: Copy notation here, open the other copy, paste into its Notation box, then Load and save there.

Format

One line per setting, then one line per hand. Measures are separated by |.

title: Ode to Joy time: 4/4 key: C tempo: 72

RH: E4/q E4/q F4/q G4/q | G4/q F4/q E4/q D4/q

Note = pitch/length. Pitch: letter, optional # or b, octave (middle C is C4). Length: w whole, h half, q quarter, e eighth, s sixteenth, add . for dotted. Rest: r/q. Chord: [C4 E4 G4]/h. Tie to the next note: C4/h~. Notes without an accidental follow the key signature; write n for a natural, as in F4n. Triplet: 3(C4/e D4/e E4/e), three in the time of two. A second voice on the same staff, such as a note held under a moving line, goes on its own line, RH2: or LH2:, with the same bars and rests where it is silent.

0notes answered, all time
–accuracy, all time
–accuracy, last 50
–median seconds per note, last 50

Treble clef, by note

Bass clef, by note

Each cell shows correct answers over attempts. Notes you miss come up more often in the drill until you get them right. Aim for green across the board and under two seconds a note before you widen the range.

Pieces

PieceRuns finishedWrong keys, last runLast practised
Saved in this browser only.