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Enter the StudioGet the full StudioStudio LiveYour scheduleProfileI already bought the courseKnow what to practice today, where to go next, and how to keep the music you love under your fingers. Better Piano Studio brings lessons, daily practice, sheet music and a community of fellow musicians together in one place.
And the last time the Studio will ever be a one-time purchase.
The new Better Piano Studio complete with all of its tools and course material, plus two more full courses, my Jazz Piano Improv ebook and both volumes of Cinematic Piano Riffs.
$449 of products for $149, one time. 67% off.
In addition to the entire Better Piano System course, you’ll get access to its successor: the brand new Better Piano Studio. Plus, two more complete courses, my improvisation ebook and my entire collection of Cinematic Piano Riffs.
The next evolution of the Better Piano System is here. The new Studio includes all original course material, but adds a whole new world of interactive tools and customized guidance: a daily practice session built for the time you have, My Repertoire, more than 1,500 engraved pieces, the quizzes and the Exercise Library, the Community and the Studio Live replays.
Guided examples, exercises and backing tracks.
Seven modes, with exercises and backing tracks.
50 choruses and 40 backing tracks.
25 riffs as sheet music, audio and MIDI.
25 more riffs in the same three formats.
Courses and downloads are delivered through Teachable. Your purchase also unlocks Better Piano Studio.
You have imagined it: sitting down at the piano and playing something beautiful, just because you felt like it. Playing is one of the greatest joys in life, and if you have been telling yourself it is too late to start, here is the truth: it is never too late, and it might actually be the perfect time. As an adult, you bring more to the bench than you think:
Whether you're just starting or you've played for years, it's rarely about talent or motivation. It usually looks like one of these.
You sit down, actually motivated, play the same few things you always play, and stall. Twenty minutes of wanting to play, with no idea what to actually do. Eventually you stop sitting down.
You spent a month learning a piece you loved. Then life happened for a few weeks, and when you came back it was gone. All that work, evaporated, and nothing warned you it was slipping.
Lessons and method books turned playing into homework. Drills first, joy later, and the music you actually cared about always waiting somewhere after page 40.
The app kept your streak alive and the falling lights kept falling. A month later you still couldn't sit at a real piano and just play something. Points aren't skills.
Every one of these comes down to the same thing: nothing tells you what comes next. So playing goes stale, and when playing goes stale, you stop.
"In my early twenties, I finally took the step to try and make up for lost time, but I was being taught scales and such … so I quit after about a year in which I didn't progress much. … After just a matter of weeks, I had achieved more than the one year I had taken up lessons in the past, and it's just very comprehensible and fun."
A good teacher walks in every week already knowing your next piece, your next skill and what needs review. Teach yourself, and all of that planning falls to you. It's the part that wears people down. Better Piano Studio does that planning with you, every day, for one payment instead of weekly lesson fees. It answers "what should I play?" at three timescales.
Take the three-minute Pathway quiz once and tell the Studio how much time you usually have. From then on, the practice coach builds each session for you: a warmup, some technique, the next step on your Pathway, a piece you're keeping alive and something to discover. The warmups and technique change from day to day, and your Pathway moves on only when you're ready.
The course map lays out every lesson in the order I'd teach it, with your Pathway on top, so you're never guessing what to learn next or whether you're doing things in the right order. Each step builds on the last, from your first session to full pieces, and Jump back in picks up exactly where you stopped.
My Repertoire keeps every piece you can play, whether you learned it here, from an old teacher or twenty years ago. Each one has a freshness clock. When a piece starts to fade, the Studio suggests it for tonight and works it into your next session, so a piece you worked hard for doesn't quietly slip away.
Your lessons, today's practice and your repertoire, finally working together. One Studio answers all three timescales, and you buy it once.
"As a musician, I wanted to learn the piano for its flexibility, but I was never sure where I should start. … Turns out taking that first step was all I needed, now I am sure I can learn the piano."
This is the real Better Piano Studio, live on this page. Take the guided tour, or step into a free room and try it yourself. The free version isn't a trial, and you don't need an account to look around.
Or step straight into a free room:
Here's what's inside, room by room. Press See it in the tour on any of them to open it in the real Studio.
Every practice counts, and the Studio shows it: your streak, with Rests for the days life wins, your days practiced this month, and your minutes across the last week, month and twelve weeks.
The course at the heart of the Studio: 21 units and 325 lessons, from your first notes to chords, technique and reading real sheet music, with worksheets, quizzes and notes to support your practice. Anything you type while a video plays becomes a timestamped note you can jump back to. The Exercise Library holds every course exercise plus hundreds more.
A three-minute quiz builds your Pathway: your first lessons, pieces at your level, and what you can skip. Then the course map lays the whole curriculum out in five collections, in the order I'd take them.
Prove to yourself that you CAN make beautiful music. It all starts here.
What makes fast playing hard, and the actionable steps to start getting faster today.
Four progressions, hundreds of songs, zero sheet music required.
Take the mystery out of the notes on the page, one confident step at a time.
Both hands together, real pieces from real sheet music, and your first accidentals.
21 units · 325 lessons, with new lessons landing in your Studio as they're published.
"I'm a few days in, and so far I have loved how this course is laid out. I've felt encouraged and the steps it has had me take is perfect for absorbing the content!"
Type a title and the piece is in, from anywhere in your life: no forms, no required details. Mark the ones you play from memory and let the freshness clocks keep watch. The Learning tab holds the pieces you're working toward, and the pieces you used to play wait in a revival queue, ready when you are.
The Piece Library holds more than 1,500 professionally engraved pieces by more than 150 composers: Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Satie, Debussy, Joplin ragtime, holiday music and more. Browse by composer, level, style or the kind of piece. Every piece plays back with the music highlighted as it goes; slow it down, practice hands separately or loop the bars that need work. Members download any piece as MIDI or MusicXML, and seven pieces are free for everyone.
Quick drills build the skills that make everything else easier: notes on the staff, keys and key signatures, chords by sight and on the keyboard, intervals and scales, plus listening quizzes for your ear. Answer on screen or on the full keyboard right under the question. The flash cards grow with you, from your very first notes to naming chords from the grand staff.
The Practice Wall is an opt-in leaderboard for current streaks and days practiced this month. It rewards consistency, not hours, so ten minutes every day beats one heroic marathon session. It shows only a display name and picture you choose, never your email, and only if you join.
The Exercise Library's tools share one full 88-key keyboard: pick a chord and it lights up on the keys, or open the circle of fifths and any key's scale, chords and progressions are a click away. The Key Companion puts every key in one book, every chord, scale and progression drawn for the piano and ready to print, and every blues page has a practice track with my own band.
Every member gets the Community, a room inside the Studio just for people learning piano here. Ask the question you'd never ask anywhere else, and get answers from people a few steps ahead of you. Post a video of the piece you finally got through. Cheer each other on, and the Studio lets you know the moment someone answers.
A Questions view keeps every question in one place, so nothing gets buried, and you hear about it the moment someone answers.
Share a video of up to ten minutes, a picture of your score, or a link to a recording you love.
React, reply and celebrate the small wins. Simple guidelines keep the room kind, and I drop in from time to time too.
Studio Live is a free weekly workshop with me on Zoom, and anyone can come. Save your spot in one click and the join link arrives by email. When a session starts, the Studio shows a banner with a Join on Zoom button. Every session is recorded, and the replays come with the full Studio.
See the upcoming workshops →
I'm a professional jazz pianist and music educator, but most people know me from YouTube. Maybe you're one of them? Over the past several years, more than 1.9 million people have subscribed because music finally makes sense when it's explained clearly.
I hear versions of that comment every day, and some viewers have even tested out of college-level theory from the videos alone. But here's the thing: understanding music is only part of the equation. At some point, you have to sit down and actually play.
That's why I built Better Piano Studio. It's everything I'd want if I were starting from scratch, or starting again: lessons that make sense, a practice plan that always knows my next step, and tools that treat me like a musician. Clear. Practical. Fun. And built, above everything else, to help you stick with it.
Beyond the Studio, you get two courses, a jazz improv ebook and both Cinematic Piano Riffs volumes. Start with what interests you. The rest will be there when you’re ready.
Start improvising with guided examples and backing tracks.
Improvisation isn’t a magic trick only elite musicians can do. This course breaks the mental barrier that has kept you from trying, and gets you playing almost immediately.
What modes are, how to find them in any key, and how to actually use them.
All seven modes explained and constructed, a simple formula for finding each in any key, and then where it goes in real playing.
Fifty choruses, written out, over ten jazz standards.
Each chapter opens with a breakdown of some of the phrases in the transcriptions and why they work, so you learn the language, not just the lines. Use the backing tracks to work with the examples at the piano.
Fifty original cinematic ideas for the piano.
Learn them at the keys from the sheet music, or drop them into your DAW: every riff comes as loop-ready audio in all 12 keys and four piano sounds, as MIDI you can edit note by note, and as sheet music in three formats. Use them in anything you make, including music you release or sell. The one limit: don’t resell or share the files themselves.
Both courses, the ebook and both Riffs volumes are delivered through Teachable and are yours to keep. The Riffs are large downloads, about 7 to 8 GB per volume.
From students of the course at the heart of the Studio, in their own words.
"I never thought I would make progress this fast or have this much fun playing the piano. I waited for YEARS just thinking about it and now I wish I had started sooner. The way the lessons are laid out just make sense. I've always wanted to play songs for my family and now I feel like I can! I've even started jamming with a friend! Thank you Charles for making such thoughtful materials. I can tell you put a lot of love into this program. I would recommend it to absolutely anybody."
"The way Charles teaches, with short videos that build on each other, is exactly what I need to feel inspired to practice regularly. His teaching is easy to understand and follow. His kind, patient character and his joyful love of music is truly a beautiful blessing. I am pleasantly surprised at the progress I'm making. Much thanks Charles!"
"Charles, the teacher, is very good at explaining difficult concepts in a easy way. The courses are well structured and the material progressively harder, so you always have the feel you are progressing but having everything in reach. Best way to learn how to play the piano in my personal opinion."
"I've had a lot of music lessons, but Charles showed me some new perspective. I've learned a lot about music, but much of that hasn't clicked for me. The way Charles showed it was just what I needed."
"The last time I ever learned piano was 13 years ago. I've always had a love for the sound and music of the piano, and I have the time now to actually learn. I've already played more than I ever thought I could with just two days of practice and am so excited to keep going. I loved starting off with some riffs just to get me going."
"Charles really takes the time to get you comfortable with the piano. Great way to start if you're a total beginner!"
"30 minutes a day. That's all I have invested. At my 33 years I decided 'Why not?'. And unlike most (if not all) of those other purchases I made, I do not regret this one at all. And hey, if I can make it, what's stopping you? Do yourself a favor and jump alongside us :)"
"Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to play the piano. While I had the knack and the feel for it, I didn't dare to take lessons when my parents offered it, shy and scared as I was.. In my early twenties, I finally took the step to try and make up for lost time, but I was being taught scales and such, and after some months, I eventually told myself that I was probably too old anyways to actually learn to play the instrument, so I quit after about a year in which I didn't progress much. Not too long ago, I stumbled upon Charles Cornell's YouTube channel, and his enthusiasm and passion for music sparked something in me that got me to the point of getting a piano again at age 36 and buy this and some of his other courses to get back to learning the piano. It has been absolutely great so far! After just a matter of weeks, I had achieved more than the one year I had taken up lessons in the past, and it's just very comprehensible and fun. After just a couple of days you're basically already making music! I'm curious what I will be able to achieve when I progress more in this and the other courses. I'm excited!"
"I have been around music all of my life, and have always wanted to learn how to play piano. I will admit that it has been an intimidating factor for me. However, as I started getting deeper into music on my own, such as finding ways to orchestrate via DAWs by ear, I kept wishing that I knew how to play so I can more easily put my ideas down quickly and without guessing what notes are what. I'm a few days in, and so far I have loved how this course is laid out. I've felt encouraged and the steps it has had me take is perfect for absorbing the content! It's also quite easy to see how it can range from people with less music knowledge than me, and even more advanced than me. I'm looking forward to continuing this journey with the Better Piano System!"
"As a musician, I wanted to learn the piano for its flexibility, but I was never sure where I should start. The Better Piano System has helped me feel substantial progress. Being shown in detail where and what to start with has expedited the fear of the unknown that comes with learning a new instrument. Turns out taking that first step was all I needed, now I am sure I can learn the piano."
"Charles offers what in my opinion is the most complete training in music theory and piano. I am still a beginner, but I can dive into the hours of content that are provided through Better Piano and it's simple to understand. And on top of that you can go to his YouTube channel and get even more content. It's great!!!"
"This is an amazingly helpful program, easily digestible and well thought out. Their customer service is also very responsive and top notch. Highly recommended!!"
"I wanted to get back to playing the piano from when I was a child. I found that this course will allow me to play the songs that I sing along to. While also adding another skill in my toolbox. I believe that this course will help me achieve my goal of playing the songs that I sing along to."
"This tutorial helped me to easily, but more importantly meaningfully, go through the first steps of learning how to play in the little free time I have. Thank you Charles for your love of all things music, your hard work and your unwavering enthusiasm!"
"I'm loving the course so far. I want to learn piano to facilitate song writing. I usually write on a guitar, but want to finally learn the piano. I used to play as a kid, but never followed through. Now I'm doing it. I'm very excited."
"I really like this program. It has helped me get used to the right and LEFT hand! He really is right if you give it even like 5 mins everyday, you WILL achieve the same result as mine. That's all I have to say to y'all. Take care and Stay fresh!"
"The exercises ALONE make me feel confident that my hands will be capable of playing the piano. I've always wanted this foundation. Charles is a phenomenal person to learn from."
"I just want to play music and so far the program's teaching me the foundation for doing so. I can't wait to jump into more complex things and the music theory stuff!"
And most people don't give up because they stop loving music. They lose their sense of direction. Practice starts to feel stale, and it gets easier to put the piano off for another day.
That's why I built Better Piano Studio: to give you a next step every time you sit down, a way to keep the music you've already learned, and a reason to keep showing up. And you don't have to figure it out alone. There's a whole community of people finding their own way forward at the piano, right alongside you.
I'd love to help you keep playing.
"The Better Piano System is what I've been waiting for. … My only regret is not getting the Better Piano System sooner!"
No subscription, now or later. You pay once, and every future update to the Studio is included. If the Studio moves to subscription pricing for new members, your lifetime access stays exactly as it is.
Get the new Better Piano Studio and all five additional products for one payment of $149.
The $149 price ends. The library stays available through the holidays at a higher price.
New Studio members will need a subscription. Get in now and lock in Studio access for a one-time purchase.
Try Better Piano Studio for 30 days. If it doesn't feel like the right fit, you get your money back. No questions asked, no hoops to jump through.
Try the entire library for 30 days. If it isn’t the right fit, email [email protected] within 30 days of buying for a full refund. No questions asked, no hoops to jump through.
Lifetime access to Better Piano Studio for a single payment: the course, your Pathway and daily practice sessions, My Repertoire, the full Piece Library, every quiz and tool, the Community and the Studio Live replays. Every future update to the Studio is included, so you'll always have the current version without paying again.
No. This is a one-time purchase, and your lifetime access never turns into a subscription. If the Studio moves to subscription pricing for new members later, your access stays exactly as it is.
It's where you learn and practice: the lessons, your daily sessions, your repertoire, the sheet music and the tools, all in one place. It runs in your web browser on a computer, a phone or an iPad, so there's nothing to install, and your progress follows you from one device to the next. A free version is open to everyone; your purchase unlocks all of it.
Yes, and it's the real Studio, not a trial. With no account at all you can take the Pathway quiz, try three sample practice sessions, play seven free pieces (Minuet in G, Greensleeves, Für Elise, Invention No. 1, the first movement of Mozart's K. 545, The Entertainer and Grieg's Notturno), watch five free lessons, explore every chord and scale and take the beginner quizzes. A free account adds a saved Pathway, your streak, your notes and the Key Companion. Your purchase unlocks everything else.
You're in the right place! The course starts from the very beginning: how to sit at the instrument, correct finger technique so you don't build bad habits, and everything you need to get started. With lifetime access, you can revisit each lesson again and again until you feel comfortable.
Especially for you. You can move through the early material as fast as it deserves, and My Repertoire was built with you in mind: add the pieces you used to play, and the Studio turns them into a revival queue so they come back one at a time instead of haunting you all at once. Coming back should feel like a homecoming, not like repeating a grade.
It can, in a different way than for a beginner. The lessons lean toward foundations and developing skills, and the Pathway quiz shows you what you can skip. Where an experienced player gets the most is the practice side: My Repertoire keeping your pieces alive, more than 1,500 engraved pieces with playback, tempo control and looping, and the quizzes and reference tools for reading, harmony and ear.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. The best amount of practice is any amount you'll actually do. For some people that's 10 minutes a day, for others it's 2 hours. You set your own pace, the practice coach builds sessions to fit whatever time you give it, and you can replay every video and exercise as many times as you like.
Studio Live is a free weekly workshop with me on Zoom. Anyone can save a spot from the Studio or from betterpiano.com/live, and the join link arrives by email. Every session is recorded, and the replays are part of the full Studio.
A members' room inside the Studio. Ask about a passage that won't sit, post a short video of what you're working on, share a recording you love, and cheer each other on. A Questions view keeps every question in one place, and the Studio lets you know when someone answers. I drop in from time to time too. It comes with the full Studio.
One that works! An acoustic piano is great and so is a digital keyboard. It doesn't matter how expensive it is or how many keys it has. If it has keys and makes a sound, you can almost certainly use it. If you have a MIDI-capable keyboard, it plugs right into the Studio, but it's not required.
Most courses give you lessons, and most apps give you something to do today. The Studio brings together a real curriculum from a teacher you may already know, a daily practice plan that keeps your repertoire alive, and real tools for a real piano: engraved sheet music with playback, quizzes and MIDI in the browser. It's one purchase with no subscription, built around the question that makes people quit: what should I play next?
Completely normal, especially starting from scratch. The lessons are designed to be revisited, and the exercises are built for repetition: they only get easier the more you practice. The Piece Library's adjustable tempo, hands-separate practice and A/B looping exist for exactly those tricky spots.
Yes. There's a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee. If it's not the right fit, email [email protected] within 30 days of buying for a full refund.
Better Piano Studio with the complete course inside it, Intro to Improvisation, Making Sense of Modes, Jazz Piano Improv Volume 1 with its 40 backing tracks, and both volumes of Cinematic Piano Riffs. All six products in one $149 purchase.
The $149 price. It ends Tuesday, Dec 1 at 11:59 PM Mountain, and the price goes up after that. The deadline is for buying at $149, not for starting: begin whenever you like and work at your own pace. The Studio’s move to a subscription for new members happens after the holidays, not at the clock. Buying the bundle gives you the Studio for life, with no subscription later.
Checkout is through Teachable. Your courses and downloads live in your Teachable account, and your purchase also unlocks Better Piano Studio at studio.betterpiano.com: sign in there with the email you bought with. Inside Teachable, the Better Piano System course opens with a new first lesson: a short video from Charles with the steps for signing in to the Studio the first time. Already use a different email for the Studio? Write to [email protected] before creating another account. The Riffs are large downloads, about 7 to 8 GB per volume, so give them a little time.
No. Your purchase includes lifetime Studio access and every future update to the Studio. After the holidays the Studio moves to a subscription for new members; your access never turns into a subscription.
Not to keep what you have: your Studio access stays exactly as it is, whether you bought the course years ago or the Studio this month. The bundle adds Intro to Improvisation, Making Sense of Modes, the jazz improv ebook and both Riffs volumes, which cost $300 together before the sale, so at $149 the bundle is still the cheaper way to get all five. If you only want one or two, buy those on their own.
Yes. Use the audio, MIDI and sheet music in anything you make, including music you release or sell. The one limit: don’t resell or share the files themselves.
Email [email protected] within 30 days of buying for a full refund on the whole bundle. No questions asked, no hoops to jump through.
It's where you learn and practice: the lessons, your daily sessions, your repertoire, the sheet music and the tools, all in one place. It runs in your web browser on a computer, a phone or an iPad, so there's nothing to install, and your progress follows you from one device to the next. A free version is open to everyone; your purchase unlocks all of it.
Yes, and it's the real Studio, not a trial. With no account at all you can take the Pathway quiz, try three sample practice sessions, play seven free pieces (Minuet in G, Greensleeves, Für Elise, Invention No. 1, the first movement of Mozart's K. 545, The Entertainer and Grieg's Notturno), watch five free lessons, explore every chord and scale and take the beginner quizzes. A free account adds a saved Pathway, your streak, your notes and the Key Companion. Your purchase unlocks everything else.
You're in the right place! The course starts from the very beginning: how to sit at the instrument, correct finger technique so you don't build bad habits, and everything you need to get started. With lifetime access, you can revisit each lesson again and again until you feel comfortable.
Especially for you. You can move through the early material as fast as it deserves, and My Repertoire was built with you in mind: add the pieces you used to play, and the Studio turns them into a revival queue so they come back one at a time instead of haunting you all at once. Coming back should feel like a homecoming, not like repeating a grade.
It can, in a different way than for a beginner. The lessons lean toward foundations and developing skills, and the Pathway quiz shows you what you can skip. Where an experienced player gets the most is the practice side: My Repertoire keeping your pieces alive, more than 1,500 engraved pieces with playback, tempo control and looping, and the quizzes and reference tools for reading, harmony and ear. Beyond the Studio, the bundle adds the improvisation and modes courses, the jazz improv ebook and both Riffs volumes, with plenty to explore past the main course.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. The best amount of practice is any amount you'll actually do. For some people that's 10 minutes a day, for others it's 2 hours. You set your own pace, the practice coach builds sessions to fit whatever time you give it, and you can replay every video and exercise as many times as you like.
Studio Live is a free weekly workshop with me on Zoom. Anyone can save a spot from the Studio or from betterpiano.com/live, and the join link arrives by email. Every session is recorded, and the replays are part of the full Studio.
A members' room inside the Studio. Ask about a passage that won't sit, post a short video of what you're working on, share a recording you love, and cheer each other on. A Questions view keeps every question in one place, and the Studio lets you know when someone answers. I drop in from time to time too. It comes with the full Studio.
One that works! An acoustic piano is great and so is a digital keyboard. It doesn't matter how expensive it is. If it has keys and makes a sound, you can start; a smaller keyboard may limit which pieces you can play later on. If you have a MIDI keyboard, it plugs right into the Studio in Chrome or Edge on a computer, but it's not required.
Most courses give you lessons, and most apps give you something to do today. The Studio brings together a real curriculum from a teacher you may already know, a daily practice plan that keeps your repertoire alive, and real tools for a real piano: engraved sheet music with playback, quizzes and MIDI in the browser. It's one purchase with no subscription, built around the question that makes people quit: what should I play next?
Completely normal, especially starting from scratch. The lessons are designed to be revisited, and the exercises are built for repetition: they only get easier the more you practice. The Piece Library's adjustable tempo, hands-separate practice and A/B looping exist for exactly those tricky spots.
Real music from your first session. A session waiting for you every day after that. And every piece you learn, kept alive for good.
Let's make your dream of playing the piano a reality, together.
A clear next step from your first session. A session waiting for you every day after that. And the rest of the library to explore at your own pace.