MY BIGGEST PROJECT EVER

GET THE BRAND NEW BETTER PIANO SYSTEM

MY BIGGEST PROJECT EVER IS HERE

For the better part of this year I've been working nonstop on my biggest project yet:

THE BETTER PIANO SYSTEM

This single, massive course is the culmination of years of work building course material, getting feedback and speaking directly with students like you to nail down the most important aspects of learning the piano!

This course is currently closed for enrollment.

Check back in a couple weeks for something big...

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Course Curriculum

While the course is currently in pre-sale format, there is still a TON of material for you to work through. So much so, that I guarantee you won't have time to get through all of it before the remaining course content is released! If you're curious what the final product will look like, here's an overview of the course curriculum.

(For the pre-sale, sections 1-14 below are almost entirely complete)

1. Intro

Let's get our bearings!

  • Start playing NOW
  • Accountability
  • Mindset
  • Why Learn Piano?
  • What This Course Will Teach You

2. The Basics

Quickly cover some housekeeping items to get you started.

  • Proper Sitting Posture
  • Proper Hand Posture
  • The Importance of Curved Fingers
  • Numbering Our Fingers

3. Instant Pianist

This module starts you off playing beautiful music before learning any music theory or notes!

  • Your First FULL Song
  • Easy Riff #1
  • Easy Riff #2
  • Easy Riff #3

4. Keyboard Basics

Getting to know the instrument with pattern recognition. It's easier than you think!

  • The Patterns of the Piano
  • Octaves - Simplifying the 88 Keys
  • C Position Intro

5. Exercise Module

We'll use our newly-introduced hand position to start working out our fingers!

  • 15 Right Hand 5-Finger Exercises
  • 15 Left Hand 5-Finger Exercises

6. Check In #1

Periodically throughout the course, I've sprinkled video reminders to help keep you on track. It's easy to forget how little it takes for us to stay on top of our practicing habits. These little nudges help you stay motivated and keep progressing!

7. Speed and Dexterity

Some insight on how the hand is designed to play the instrument and how to make it faster!

  • Strengths and Weaknesses of the Hand (with exercises)
  • The Left Hand is Even Harder!
  • Introducing 30-Day Challenges

8. 30-Day Challenge: Finger Fumblers

Our first 30-Day Challenge involves tongue twisters for the fingers!

  • 10 Finger Fumblers starting on C
  • 10 Finger Fumblers NOT starting on C
  • 10 Finger Fumblers in new keys (with tutorials)

9. Let's Learn Some CHORDS!

It's time to start combining the things you've been practicing with some things you've already done to start unlocking your favorite songs!

  • Your First Chords
  • Exploring Bigger Chords
  • Introducing Chord CHEAT CODE Modules

10. Chord CHEAT CODE Modules

4 MASSIVE modules breaking down commonly-used 4-chord variations that can be leveraged to play hundreds, if not thousands of your favorite songs.

  • Includes Play-Alongs
  • Includes Variations on Each Progression
  • Includes 12-Key Guides

11. An Intro to Music Theory

FINALLY, we start adding some language and context to all the things you're already learning.

  • Music Theory Isn't Scary
  • What Music Theory We'll Cover In This Course
  • Why Music Theory Matters

12. Naming Things You ALREADY Know

Much of music theory is just identifying things you're already familiar with, so you can use them on command!

  • The Notes of the Keyboard
  • Finding the Notes on the Piano
  • An Intro to Middle C

13. Putting It All On Paper

After we've already started playing TONS of beautiful music, we'll start learning how to identify notes on paper.

  • The Grand Staff
  • The Treble Clef
  • The Bass Clef
  • Middle C Review with New Context

14. Exercise Module

Now that we've learned to identify some basic notes on the staff, we're going to start reading music! And you'll find it's not nearly as hard as you thought.

  • 10 C-Position Exercises for Treble Clef
  • 10 C-Position Exercises for Bass Clef

15. Rhythm and Time Signature

Notes don't tell us much without adding the context of how long or short each note should be played.

  • What is Rhythm?
  • Note Lengths
  • Rest Lengths
  • What is a Measure?
  • What is Time Signature?

16. Exercise Module

Now that we've gone over rhythms, and the breakdown of note lengths and rest lengths, let's put it to the test!

  • 10 Quarter-Note Rhythms
  • 10 8th-Note Rhythms
  • 10 16th-Note Rhythms

17. What are Sharps and Flats?

For pretty much the entire course thus far, we've been using almost entirely white keys, without explaining how to name the black keys. Time to cover that!

  • What are Accidentals?
  • Reading Sharps and Flats

18. Exercise Module

Let's put our newfound knowledge of the sharps and flats to the test!

  • 10 Right Hand Reading Accidentals
  • 10 Left Hand Reading Accidentals

19. Intro to Scales

Here we discuss those annoying things that we always think of when we think about "practicing the piano." BUT, they're actually SUPER useful!

  • Whole Steps and Half Steps
  • The Major Scale Formula
  • Scale Fingerings

20. The Major Scales

A complete breakdown of every individual major scale, its fingering and play-along exercises for you to work on mastering each one!

  • Playing each major scale
  • Breaking down each major scale fingering in-depth
  • Why "difficult" scales might actually be easier.

21. 30-Day Challenge: Scale Mastery

Taking our newfound scale knowledge and working on how to APPLY them, not just play them for practicing.

  • 12 5-Finger exercises (1 per key)
  • 12 Full scale exercises (1 per key)
  • 6 Days of more advanced major scale training (2 keys per day)

22. Intro to Intervals

Let's give a name and definition to the things you've already been using this whole time! Intervals unlock SO much.

  • What Is an Interval?
  • Harmonic vs Melodic Intervals
  • Dissonance vs Consonance
  • Major Intervals
  • Other Intervals

23. Exercise Module

Even though we've already played with both hands, in this exercise module, we're going to take it up a notch, by reading two lines of music together! This module is an important step in building up our notation-reading confidence.

  • 10 Two-Hand Single-Note Exercises

24. The Number System

This might be one of the most important modules in the entire program. The Number System is the ultimate musical cheat code.

  • What Is the Number System?
  • The 3 Methods of Application
  • Roman numerals

25. Diving Deeper Into Chords

We've played a TON of chords thus far. Let's break down harmony even further and talk about more concrete basics as well as more advanced concepts.

  • Major vs Minor
  • 3-Note Chords
  • 4-Note Chords
  • Upper Extensions

26. Sight Reading Fundamentals

Sight reading can be one of the most frustrating, yet one of the most important aspects of playing any instrument. The piano makes this exceptionally difficult at times. So how do we tackle it?

  • What Is Sight Reading?
  • The Distance Method

27. Exercise Module

It's time to put it all together by learning some FULL songs with multiple notes in EACH hand, reading from sheet music! This module contains some short pieces that you can learn without too much trouble, that are all unique, yet easy to play!

  • 20 Short Songs

28. How To Practice

This might sound obvious, but getting an effective practice session in might just be harder than you thought, if you don't have the right plan in place. Here, we'll break it all down.

  • How to Practice
  • Practice Blocks
  • Intro to Practice Guides

29. Practicing Technique

One thing we simply must do if we want to get better is improve our technique. Here, we'll go over a number of famously helpful resources you can use.

  • Scales and Arpeggios
  • Hanon
  • Czerny
  • Dohnanyi

30. Intro to Classical Repertoire

There's a reason most pianists learn classical music. Here, we'll talk about some of the greats, some of the pieces to learn, and how to find styles you love.

  • Why Play Classical Music?
  • List of Famous and Useful Works

31. Full Piece Breakdowns

A work in progress, this module will contain full-blown long-form breakdowns of popular classical pieces you might want to learn

  • Für Elise
  • Clair de Lune
  • Moonlight Sonata
  • And more!

32. Intro to Ear Training

This is where the rubber meets the road. Where all of the things we've talked about begin to unleash full musical freedom.

  • What Is Ear Training?
  • What to Listen For in Music
  • Bass Lines, Keys, Melody
  • Melodic and Chord Progression Dictation Exercises

33. Your Favorite Songs

Here, we'll break down the chord progressions to some popular songs. Think of it as an expansion on the Chord Cheat Code modules, but with specific songs in mind.

  • Popular Chord Progressions
  • Songs To Use Them On

34. Some Beautiful Exercises

Some final touches to help you continue developing your technique as well as play beautiful pieces.

35. Outro

You made it! Some final resources and "what's next."

36. Practice Guides

In the practice guides section, you'll have access to a variety of guided practice sessions of various lengths, with suggestions on how to format your Practice Blocks. Think of it like "study with me" videos, but for practicing the piano!

This course is currently closed for enrollment.

Check back in a couple weeks for something big...

Let's make your dream of playing the piano a reality, together.

  • No more fear: learn in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace, replaying each lesson as many times as you need until you nail it.
  • Play whatever you want: these courses will give you the foundation to play any genre you desire!
  • Dream big: It's never too late to learn music. With unlimited lifetime access once you purchase, you can watch again and again until you become the pianist you always dreamed of being!

What Other Students Like YOU Have To Say:

FAQ

What does purchasing this course get me?

Purchasing the Better Piano System gets you access to the included content FOR LIFE. It's a one-time purchase that will ensure you have access to the material for as long as need it. Also, you'll have access to any new additions or updates to the course over time. You ALWAYS have the most up-to-date and value-packed version available. While this pre-sale already has TONS of material for you to work through, you'll automatically receive the rest of the material when it is released. You won't have to do anything. Your account will be updated automatically with the remaining content!

How is this different from other piano courses?

One of the ways Charles has been able to build a YouTube channel with over 1.8M subscribers is by having a unique ability to explain complicated concepts in an extremely clear and easy-to-understand manner. While other courses simply feature an instructor talking to the camera, our courses are packed full of detailed graphic animations and supplemental resources to make sure you'll be up to speed at every step of the way. Plus, you'll practice every single concept we teach in the course in an extensive exercise module for each subject. Not only will you understand everything, you'll put it into practice immediately! 

How much practice will I need to put in?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how much practice is enough. The best amount of time to practice is any amount of time when you're actually doing it. For some people, that might be 10 minutes per day. For others, it might be 2 hours. With our courses, you can go as fast or as slow as you like, and you can replay any of the videos in the courses as many times as you like. You get to set your own pace and take as long as you need to work through it.

What kind of piano do I need?

One that works! An acoustic piano will work great and so will a digital keyboard. It doesn't matter how expensive it is, how many keys it has, or how many features it has. If it has some keys and makes a sound, you can probably use it! Now of course, a better quality instrument can help make some things easier. But especially at the beginning, the important thing is that you get playing at all. You can worry about the fine details later.  

What if I've never played the piano before?

You're in the right place! Our courses are a fantastic place for you to start even if you've never even sat down at a piano before. We'll teach you everything from how to properly sit at the instrument, to correct finger technique so you don't injure yourself over a long period of time of bad habits. We'll cover everything you need to know to get started on this instrument. And with lifetime access, you can go back to each lesson again and again until you feel comfortable!

What if I'm not satisfied? Can I get my money back?

While we're totally confident that you'll be blown away by this INSANE value, we pride ourselves on our flexibility and customer service! We offer a no questions asked 30-day money-back guarantee.

What if I have trouble with some of the material?

It is absolutely completely normal to struggle with various sections of the courses, especially when you're starting from scratch. These courses are designed to be completed again and again as needed. The exercises are not one-and-done in the sense that simply accomplishing them correctly once is enough. They are designed to be used over and over again in a consistent and repetitive practice regimen. Even once you've completed the instructional material, the exercise modules can be used time and time again! This repetition will help ensure that you're able to complete all of the sections over time. They only get easier the more you practice!

Meet Charles.

Hey! I'm Charles Cornell, a YouTuber and online content creator in the music education space. Beginning with a professional background as a jazz pianist and composer, I started making online content in 2019 and, somehow, almost immediately went viral. In a short time since, I have built a YouTube channel with over 1.8 million subscribers and have amassed over 230 million views helping music lovers of all ages and abilities discover a new passion and understanding for music. With hundreds of videos breaking down music theory from films, video games, pop culture and more, I have helped millions take their next steps, or even their first on their musical journey. In 2021, I built and launched the Cornell Music Academy- now Better Piano- which has grown into a small library of online courses covering a variety of musical topics at varying skill levels. To date, tens of thousands of students like you have joined a growing musical community learning with me. I hope you find all you are looking to learn and more in my courses and I look forward to having you!

Check out Charles' Music!

At some point, you have to decide that no matter what you sound like at first, you’re simply going to start playing.

Why is it always so difficult? What makes starting the process of learning to play an instrument so hard?

The answer is simple, and it’s one that never fully goes away.

We just get better at dealing with it-

We’re overwhelmed.

What should I play?

How do I know it’s correct?

What if it doesn’t sound good?

The Better Piano System is a great way to build confidence and comfort with learning so that, when you sit at the piano for the first time, you will have the tools necessary to begin.

Thanks so much for checking out the Better Piano System and I can't wait to watch you progress!

- Charles