Arpeggio Training — Practice Piano Arpeggios with Real-Time Feedback

Arpeggio Training in The Ultimate Piano measures how evenly you play a broken chord. You play the arpeggio, and it reports what is hard to judge while playing: which notes came late, which were louder than the rest, and how the run up compares with the run back down. A strength of the app is that this feedback is per note, not a single verdict at the end.

An arpeggio is a chord whose notes are played one at a time in sequence — a fundamental technique in piano music from classical to jazz and pop.

Open it via Practice → Notes & much More and pick the Arpeggios tab.

On this page

Available Arpeggio Types

The Ultimate Piano offers 13 arpeggio types built in — 6 triads and 7 seventh chords — plus fully custom interval patterns. You can practice piano arpeggios in every one of the 12 keys.

Root Notes: C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, Bb, B — practice across 12 keys.

Select a key using the Circle of Fifths — click the key button under Which Key? to open the interactive wheel and pick any major or minor key. The button also shows the notes you are about to play, for example C E G C. The arpeggio list puts the types that fit your key first: with a minor key the minor types lead, with a major key the major ones, and Sus2 and Sus4 follow as neutral. If Major or Minor is selected, picking a key of the other mode switches it along.

Triads (3 notes):

Seventh Chords (4 notes):

Custom Intervals

Beyond the 13 presets, you can define any arpeggio pattern manually:

1. Click the Custom input field
2. Type scale degrees separated by spaces — e.g. 1 3 5 8 or 1 b3 5 b7
3. The arpeggio updates instantly

Supported formats:

• Plain degrees: 1 3 5, 1 3 5 8
• Accidentals: b3, #5, ♭7, ♯4 — and double flats or sharps such as bb7 / ♭♭7 (the diminished seventh)
• Extensions: 9, 11, 13 with or without accidentals — e.g. b9, #9, #11, b13
• Multi-octave: 1 3 5 8 10 (degree 8 = octave, 9 = 9th, etc.)

The degree you type decides how each note is written: 1 b3 b5 on C gives C – E♭ – G♭ (a diminished fifth), while 1 #4 gives C – F♯.

Exercise Metrics

The system tracks your playing in real-time:

Score formula: 50% note accuracy + 30% timing consistency + 20% velocity consistency.

How Arpeggio Training Works

1. Configure – Select the key (via Circle of Fifths), direction and arpeggio type, or enter custom intervals; the metronome button sits next to the direction
2. Start – Click Start Exercise to begin tracking
3. Play – With Up & down, play the arpeggio up from the root to the top note and back down to the root — that is one complete arpeggio. With Up or Down, one way is one arpeggio
4. Track – A score chart updates after each complete arpeggio; the Runs counter next to it shows how many arpeggios you have started, and the notes to play stand in the header of the chart
5. Stop – Click Stop to end the session and see your results

Reset ends the session without a result. Your last key, arpeggio, direction and the score chart of your last finished session are still there when you come back.

Direction: Practice Up & down (the default), Up only or Down only — choose it next to the key. With Down, start on the root an octave higher and play down to the root.

Several octaves: You can play over several octaves without changing any setting — with Up & down, keep going up past the top note into the next octave and turn around wherever you like. One extra note past the top before you turn is fine too. A custom pattern that already spans more than an octave (such as 1 3 5 8 10) is expected exactly as you typed it.

Tip: You can practice continuously without stopping. If you start over, the trainer recognises the restart from the notes that follow. An arpeggio counts once you have played it completely in the chosen direction, and at least half of its notes were right. If you break off in the middle, only the wrong notes of that unfinished arpeggio count against you.

Requires a MIDI keyboard. Arpeggio Training uses MIDI input to detect your playing. Connect your MIDI keyboard before starting — on iPad and Mac, through the MIDIWeb Browser.

Results Screen

After stopping, the results view shows:

Score badges: Excellent (90+), Great Job (75+), Good (60+), Keep Practicing (<60).

Advanced Analysis: Transition Details

After each session the results screen shows a transition analysis in three tabs — Overview, Timing and Velocity — for every note-pair in the arpeggio (e.g., C→E, E→G, G→C). When you play over more than one octave, each octave gets its own rows; a prime marks the higher octave (C′→E′).

This reveals exactly which finger transitions are uneven — helping you target specific weak points in your technique.

Practice Tips for Piano Arpeggios

Practice piano arpeggios in three progressive stages — start slow and accurate, then add complexity, then refine touch. The tips below map to beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Beginners:

• Start with C Major triad at a slow, even tempo
• Focus on hitting every note correctly before building speed
• Use the note accuracy metric as your main guide

Intermediate:

• Add seventh chords (Dom7 and Maj7 are common in most styles)
• Aim for timing consistency above 80%
• Practice both ascending and descending in the same run

Advanced:

• Work on velocity consistency — even touch across all fingers
• Try multi-octave custom intervals (1 3 5 8 10 12) for full-range patterns
• Use the transition analysis to find and fix specific weak finger pairs

Practice chords first: Try Chord Training to master the shapes before breaking them into arpeggios.

Train your ear: Ear Training: Chords teaches you to recognize chord types by sound alone.

Explore patterns visually: Use Learning Mode to see arpeggio notes highlighted on the keyboard before practicing.

Musically Correct Note Names

Arpeggio exercises always display notes in their musically correct spelling. For example, F# Major shows "F#, A#, C#" — using consistent sharp notation that matches the key signature, rather than mixing sharps and flats.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does arpeggio training work?

No special setup beyond a MIDI keyboard. Select a root note and arpeggio type, click Start, and play the pattern on your keyboard. The trainer detects each note, tracks your accuracy and timing in real time, and updates a score chart after each run. When you stop, a results screen shows your total score with a note-pair transition breakdown.

What arpeggio types are available?

13 types in total: six triads (Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented, Sus2, Sus4) and seven seventh chords (Dominant 7th, Major 7th, Minor 7th, Minor/Major 7th, Diminished 7th, Half-Diminished, Augmented 7th). You can also enter any custom interval pattern like 1 b3 5 8.

Do I need a MIDI keyboard for arpeggio training?

Yes. Arpeggio Training relies on MIDI input to detect your playing and measure timing precisely. Connect your MIDI keyboard before you press Start. If no MIDI device is connected, the trainer asks you to connect one.

How is the arpeggio score calculated?

50% of the score comes from note accuracy (how many notes belonged to the arpeggio), 30% from timing consistency (how even the gaps between notes were), and 20% from velocity consistency (how even your touch was). Scores of 90+ earn an Excellent badge, 75+ Great Job, 60+ Good.

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