The best free online app to learn piano is Piano Marvel. Its free features are not just for the beginning student. In fact, almost every level of piano player can benefit from Piano Marvel’s free offerings. This post will outline what is available for free, how to access it and explain why this piano learning app is an incredible deal that will level-up your piano playing ability through this online piano learning app.
As an example of a beginner’s progression on Piano Marvel, here is a quick video of my daughter learning the song, “Alouette” after 2 months of practicing a few times each week:
If this blog post is tl;dr, see links below to short versions that summarize how to access the free music for BEGINNERS and another link to access ALL LEVELS. Any piano learner from the beginning to advanced level of proficiency can access significant portions of this app for free. All levels of player will learn to play or increase their learning base at 8 to 10 times the traditional teaching methodology pace. For quick access instructions, click on the appropriate link:
Table of Contents
BEGINNERS
ALL LEVELS
Introduction to the best free online piano learning app
Piano Marvel is an online piano teaching app that utilizes advanced teaching techniques. Piano Marvel contends that this online learning app can speed up your learning ability by eight to ten times. In my opinion, this learning increase is due to a few basic reasons:
The Computer and Piano Work Together
The teaching and learning is via PC or iPad using midi technology in your piano. Therefore, your piano or keyboard connects to the app and Piano Marvel constantly monitors notes hit and timing of the keys played in real-time. This constant feedback is very helpful in learning quickly. Obviously this requires a midi compatible piano but there is a manual book mode that allows you to use the same online material. The real-time functionality is absent in book mode but you still get access to the songs and online teaching technologies.
Piano Marvel’s Prepare Mode
Prepare mode: this is a feature that allows you to play the song untimed. You practice the song at your pace but the highlighted key does not progress until you play the correct note(s). Consequently, this quickly helps you understand what notes to play accurately.
Piano Marvel’s Assess Mode
Assess mode: this is a feature that tests your skill at different defined tempos. You are graded after each try and awarded a goldey piano when accuracy reaches 96% or above. You may move to the next song at any time but the video game style feedback encourages the learner to work towards the golden piano before leveling-up to the next song or exercise.
- This mode identifies any incorrect notes played, so there is no doubt as to whether one is playing the song accurately.
- You always play the song in correct tempo. The ability to play in correct time is automatically ingrained in the student.
Piano Marvel’s Practice Mode
Practice mode is a feature that allows you to granularly break down the song into its component pieces for ease of learning. As a result, this is another key component, and in my experience, the feature that really helps a piano player to progress quickly.
- Practice mode cuts the song or exercise into small sections.
- This mode then allows you to choose how to learn those sections.
- You can choose to learn progressively hands separate (it’s called minced mode) at a slower tempo, speeding up as you master the slower BEATS PER MINUTE.
- So you learn how to play the section with just the right hand slow, then the left hand slow, then hands together.
- The beginning lessons start hands separate. You then progress to hands together.
How to use Practice Mode:
It is through these combinations of features that allows the piano learner to increase their playing ability at 8 to 10 times the more traditional teaching routes. AND most importantly, you can access this functionality for free.
What is free to use in the Piano Marvel app?
Everything is available free for first month
Piano Marvel has a general free month that allows a new user full access to all six levels of method and technique (1200 songs and exercises), the expansive library (over 10,000 songs), and The SASR (Standard Assessment of Sight Reading). SASR is a piano sight reading test that monitors your sight reading ability. Each time you take the SASR test you will get a sight reading score and a chart showing your sight reading progress.
Level One is free for unlimited time limit
For beginners and all levels, you can continue the first level of method and technique past the first month. My son has been slowly moving through level one for about 7 months. He plays maybe 20 minutes twice a week. He has completed about 120 exercises and songs.
On the other hand, if you are a motivated beginner, you can easily get through level one in a month. If you want to continue to the next levels after the first month, you need to purchase a premium account. Compared to paying for private lessons, this app is a bargain.
Piano Marvel Hymns Boot Camps is always free
The Hymns Boot Camps are available for free in the library with no need for a premium membership ever. There are two different boot camps available: Easy Hymns Boot Camp and Selected Hymns Boot Camp.
The Easy Hymns Boot Camp is a great way for every ability to start. When you start this boot camp, the app asks what level you want to start. Take note that if you are a beginner to early intermediate, you probably want to start from the very beginning. This starts you learning the hymns hands separate.
If you are consistently achieving an 80% score in hands separate and hands together; you can move on to the Selected Hymns Boot Camp if you wish. Here is a video introduction of the hymns boot camp:
How are the boot camps free?
While the boot camps will not keep you learning piano for years to come, there is a lot of material to work through. And there is also a lot of free music in the library.
My friend Michelle Robison, who works for Piano Marvel notes: “The hymns from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are free in Piano Marvel even with the free account because the church gave the program the rights to use their material and provide it for free to all to learn and play, which was really cool of them! That means that the “Hymns Made Easy” and the “Selected Hymns” (which are the books that belong to them) are free in all formats, including the boot camp(s)!”
Why is the Piano Marvel free piano learning tools so valuable for all skill levels?
There are two different reasons to learn through this boot camp. The first is wanting to play the hymns. This is really for those that belong to the LDS church and want to learn to play for reasons related to the church and its mission. If you don’t belong to the church, you can learn to play these songs as a vehicle to help you learn to play piano and ultimately play other genres of music.
The second reason to learn through the hymns boot camp is sight reading. This is an immersion approach to learning to sight read. Here is a video on How to Improve Sight Reading with Piano Marvel Boot Camps:
How Hymns Can Help You Level-Up!
Dr. Cory Hall notes in an article HERE , “Hymns and chorales are “functional” and “practical” music that should be obligatory for all serious piano students, but unfortunately they are ignored or neglected by the majority of piano teachers and students.”
The article also mentions hymns as a hole in most students learning repertoire. Dr Hall notes that many new students can’t play hymns even if they can play virtuoso pieces.
As an aside, Dr. Hall has his Bach Scholar series in Piano Marvel (premium only after first month) that includes his “Sight Reading and Harmony” collection of exercises for beginner to advanced piano players. I have only heard great things about his contributions to PianoMarvel.
Embrace the Suck
Make no mistake, playing the hymns boot camp is hard. You need to play every day and get a little bit better every session. It is normal to get single digit scores at first. My motto is “embrace the suck”. I encourage myself that by being bad now, but sticking with it, I will reach my goal of being able to sight read any hymn.
Remember, this is not only a free way to learn to play piano and sight read. You are accessing cutting edge technology that is helping you become a competent player very rapidly through this immersion technique.
Conclusion – Piano Marvel is the best free online app to learn piano
In conclusion, I hope you will give this app a try. As this post enumerates, I believe that the best free online app to learn piano is Piano Marvel. It’s not just a great free app but its also great value for the premium membership, if you choose.
But the great thing is you don’t have to pay a dime and you get world class instruction for free. If you are a beginner or just need a refresher, you can learn via the level 1 method and technique sections for as long as you want.
You also have access to the free boot camps. As noted, the boot camps are immersion courses to read music much like you would in a foreign country. Piano Marvel says that studies show that the time it takes to learn to read music is shortened dramatically through this approach.
The great thing about the boot camps is that they are designed for all ages and levels of ability. It is perfect for everyone from beginning student with no knowledge of piano to students who are perfecting their ability to sight read the hymns. Ultimately, this then gives the piano player the ability to sight read other genres of music.
To get started, create an account here and use the easy to follow instructions in the app to level-up your playing. Let me know how you’re practice is progressing or ask me any questions you may have regarding Piano Marvel. I want to hear from you! 🙂
tl;dr Summary
Beginning Learners:
- To Create a Piano Marvel Account click HERE. ( If you decide you love this app and want to access everything after the first free month – this link will fill in the Coupon Code “CHRIS” to get the $3 off monthly current price of $15.99.)
- Login to your account
- Make sure your midi keyboard is connected. If you don’t have a midi keyboard just choose manual book mode. Instructions to use book mode here: (For manual book mode video instructions see end of blog)
- In the first month you can access the four main sections (Library (limited use after 1st free month), SASR (sight reading assessment), Method, Technique)
- After the first month, you can continue level one of Method and Technique for FREE. This includes 200 songs and excercises with video instruction along the way.
- Once you’ve completed level one, move on to the ALL Level instructions below.
- Remember to smile while playing 😉
All Level Learners:
- To Create a Piano Marvel Account click HERE. ( If you decide you love this app and want to access everything after the first free month – this link will fill in the Coupon Code “CHRIS” to get the $3 off monthly current price of $15.99.)
- Login to your account
- Make sure your midi keyboard is connected. If you don’t have a midi keyboard just choose manual book mode. Instructions to use book mode here: (For manual book mode video instructions see end of blog)
- Start at an appropriate level (2 -6; level 1 is always FREE) if you want to take advantage of the free lessons in method and technique for a month.
- On the Dashboard click on LIBRARY
- In the TITLE SEARCH BAR, type in “boot camp” and click on SEARCH.
- Click on either HYMNS MADE EASY BOOT CAMP or SELECT HYMNS BOOT CAMP
- Beginner to Intermediate piano learners might want to start HYMNS MADE EASY BOOT CAMP
- There is a choice of Stage 1, Stage 7 and Stage 10
- Stage 1 – starts at the very beginning of boot camp with hands separate sheet music
- Stage 7 – start at a more intermediate sight reading level with hands separate and hands together
- Stage 10 – start at a more intermediate to advanced sight reading level with hands together (if you can score 80% or higher in this level you may want to skip to Select Hymns Boot Camp)
- Just play the songs shown at tempo and get score. This is immersion learning and YOU WILL IMPROVE through repetition.
- Don’t worry about your score at first. Unless you can sight read, your score will be very low, like single digits low but don’t worry, just keep going. What do you have to lose, it’s free!
- Over a period of time, maybe just months, you will be able to sight read any hymn! Which means you can play real music at a very competent level.
- Remember to smile while playing 😉
Piano Marvel Book Mode Instructions
More Information:
- Special Thanks to Michelle Robison! Check out her channel and subscribe at: CLICK HERE
- The Best Piano Marvel Guide and Review: CLICK HERE