Step 1: How to Switch Between the Words and the App
Before we start composing, let's learn one simple trick: how to switch between the instructions (this page) and the app (the piano, down below). In this course, you will always read a little, then play a little, and the PRACTICE and STEP buttons will help you navigate easily.
Let's get started:
- Press the PRACTICE button. The app with your instrument will appear.
- Check out the app and press a few keys. Any keys! This step has no rules.
- Then press the STEP 2 button above the keyboard.
That's it! Read, press buttons, play, and we're on our way.
Step 2: Meet the Keys
Your piano has 11 big keys. Some are grey, some are blue, and some are white. The grey keys are resting right now. We are not using them yet. The blue and white keys are the ones we will start composing with, very soon.
Look at all the big piano keys. Do you see that some of them have a letter and a number written on it? The letter tells us which note the key is playing.
Here is your first assignment:
After you press the PRACTICE button, count to four, then play any four keys. You pick any key. Then, count to four again and play four more keys. Take a little break and repeat this count-play game just one more time. 1 2 3 4 play play play play 1 2 3 4 play play play play. Done.
When you are done practising, press the STEP 3 key right above the piano keys.
Step 3: Time to Make Some Noise
Since you now know what the STEP buttons do, it's time to explore the last two buttons.
Assignment 2:
- Press the COMPOSE button and play any white or blue keys. It doesn't matter.
- When you get to the last ring, press the left blue key. The one that says C4.
When you have filled all the rings, press the SHOW ME button and listen to the chaos. Don't worry, today is the last day you compose like that. When you are done, press the STEP 4 button.
Step 4: What We Learned Today
Look at everything you can do now. You learned a lot today!
- The STEP buttons carry you between the words and the app.
- Your piano has 11 big keys. The grey keys are resting; the blue and white keys are the ones we compose with.
- COMPOSE writes your music into the rings, and SHOW ME plays it back for you.
- Today we filled all the rings and made some beautiful chaos. Tomorrow, we start making it on purpose.
Come back tomorrow for Module 2.
Mentor Note
Because this is a web-based tool, refreshing or closing the page will reset everything. Please note that using the STEP buttons to navigate within this page is perfectly safe and will not reset your progress.
While we will introduce permanent saving features as melodies become more complex in later modules, we recommend taking a photo or screenshot to preserve these early musical milestones.