Chords, scales and time

C, E and G. A major chord is built by taking a root note, counting up four semitones for the middle note and another three for the top one. Change the root and the same shape gives you any major chord, which is why it is worth learning the pattern rather than the letters.

One note. The middle note of a minor chord sits one semitone lower than in the major. That single semitone is the whole difference between the bright sound and the sad one, and you can hear it by switching the chord type above and pressing play twice.

On the how to read music page, which has a free note trainer. It shows a note on the treble or bass clef and waits for you to play it on the keyboard, so you are connecting the written note to the key rather than just naming it. It asks nothing of you and your best run is kept in your own browser.

C major, because it uses only white keys and lets you concentrate on your fingers rather than on where the black notes are. After that, G major and F major each add a single black key, so they are the natural next two.

Slower than feels satisfying. A useful rule is to find the fastest speed at which you can play a passage with no mistakes at all, then take ten off it. Speed comes from repetition at a tempo you can control, not from repetition at a tempo you cannot.

No. Every tool on this page is unlimited and asks nothing of you, and your best quiz run is saved in your own browser rather than sent anywhere. The practice room is the one part of the site that asks for an email, after three sessions, and that is free too.