Learn to play piano online

Find piano lessons online or learn via YouTube

Although not the same as having a piano teacher guide and push you along, taking lessons online has lots of advantages.



There is guaranteed to be an online course to suit every beginner and the cost is considerably cheaper than personal one-on-one lessons.

You can also find many YouTube piano lessons for beginners as well as online piano tutorials which will help you learn the basics. Often some of the best online piano lessons are free and you can learn in your own time and pace. (Lessons at midnight? Why not?)

Our favourite piano practicing apps

The use of smartphones and iPads has skyrocketed during the last decade, and as a result, apps for learning to play musical instruments are becoming more and more common.

One of the best things about apps is that they ‘gamify’ learning to read music. What would normally be repetitious practice is transformed into a fun challenge to continually beat your last score for speed and accuracy.

Indeed, with MIDI and Bluetooth you can link your digital piano or keyboard directly into the online learning resources and have them assess your playing in real-time.



While some of the best piano apps can make learning to play the piano seem easy, one app doesn’t necessarily tick all the boxes. It’s important to understand what sort of piano player you are before selecting the piano app that’s right for you. Once you’ve got a sense of your musical and learning style, you can review the apps listed below to help you make the best choice.

Roland Piano Partner 2
Since its release in 2016, Roland Piano Partner 2 has gained positive reviews from industry specialists due to its multi-faceted functionality. Free on both iOS and Android devices, the app works with any Roland piano that has Bluetooth functionality.

Not only does it provide an interactive way to learn, it also unlocks additional features such as an enhanced user interface for your piano. Acting as a remote controller for your piano, it allows you to adjust settings and select instrumentation from your device.



In terms of learning potential, the app has many on board songs that come complete with notation for you to learn and play along to. Build your note recognition with the flash cards, or let loose on the rhythm section, which gives an entertaining selection of beats to play along with while showing you what you’re playing in real-time. It also comes with a Recorder and Diary function, so you can play back and evaluate your performances, as well as keep track of your practice sessions.

Piano Every Day
Piano Every Day is Roland’s best app for learning piano at a more advanced level, which is a great next step for more experienced learners, grown-ups, and older children. Available on iOS and Android, it's compatible with the Roland LX700, HP700, FP-X, RP701 and F701 pianos. If you use it with these models, you’ll receive the added benefit of on-board songs to learn.

Like Roland Piano Partner 2, it also comes with a recording and tracking capability so you can keep updated on your progress. The real benefit of the app is it connects to Sheet Music Direct; the world’s largest collection of online sheet music. You can browse a huge range of classical and pop music songs and view the music scores that go with each one.

Skoove
Skoove is one of the best ways to learn piano online and comes with a great app and online piano lessons.

There is a big focus on learning to play songs. Importantly, they also have a great selection of popular songs to learn including songs by Coldplay, Adele, Ed Sheeran etc. The Skoove app is pretty clever too. It analyses your playing and gives you useful feedback on what you can do to improve faster.

We’re currently partnering with Skoove, to offer three months of free online piano lessons. If you own a Roland piano, or thinking of buying a piano, you can get unlimited access to hundreds of songs and interactive courses—available anytime on your computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Simply Piano
Simply Piano by Joytunes is an excellent resource for learning piano (beginners to advanced).

The lessons are gamified in that you have to complete a section before moving on to the next stage. At the end of each section you get to play what you have just learnt with a backing track (band).

Taking piano lessons online - hear Fiona’s story

The main difference between online piano lesson courses and piano apps wasn’t immediately clear to me. Online courses typically use videos and printed material (download a .pdf) to deliver information.

On the other hand, ‘apps’ are interactive learning tools that you typically connect your keyboard to via Bluetooth.



I have tried a few online courses and I rate them very highly. The main thing is to look around and find a course that is perfectly suited to what you want to learn and how you want to learn it.

Here’s a few online courses that I liked
Udemy – This is where I would start out if I were you! Udemy are recognised as a great learning resource for all sorts of things. One of their strengths is the variety of courses on offer; there’s over 2000 piano courses available! You’ll find everything from beginner to advanced classes, classical to gospel and learning by notation/theory, and even playing by ear. Importantly, you can access most of the other online courses via Udemy and often get a discounted price.

Playground Sessions (online courses plus a great app) – This is considered to be one of the best piano learning apps out there. Playground Sessions comes with some great technology (cool app), heaps of videos and great instructors! I found Playground Sessions engaging from day one. They track your progress and gamify learning with rewards. What’s more, they let you play along with bands, which is great for developing your aural skills and timing. Playground Sessions also has monthly, yearly and lifetime subscription options to choose from.

Pianolessons.com – I have put this in here because they have a great free option for beginners. This is where I started so that I could get a hang of learning online. The two main trainers are very personable and their approach really helped me get a grip on the basics.
Note: It’s important to find a trainer that you enjoy, because you will be spending a considerable amount time with them!

I found it is often a good idea to choose several methods for learning to play the piano.

I use my music teacher to keep me honest and help me with my technique and direction. Then, I use online courses and apps for exercises and practice. I compliment all of this by rewarding myself with learning a favourite song via YouTube.

It’s pretty remarkable how many great songs are available online for free. The best part is that real piano players are breaking the song into bit-sized chunks and putting lots of emphasis on the ‘feel’ of the song.

For me, this is where all the fun is. I didn’t start playing piano to rattle off scales and exercises, I wanted to play music. I understand that you have to walk before you run, but it sure feels good to play a song you love.

YouTube is also a great resource if you don’t want to use the online courses and learn piano apps listed above. As you would expect, there are videos on just about everything you could ask for, and many piano lessons online free. All you have to do is search!