Visual Tutorials — Piano Teaching Materials & Fingering Diagrams

Any view of the keyboard in The Ultimate Piano can be turned into an image. Light up the notes you mean, write the fingering onto the keys, mark a second voice in another colour — then export the result. The same picture works in a worksheet, in a blog post, as a thumbnail, as a chord reference above your own piano, or as an answer to someone who asked how a passage is played.

On this page

Why Visual Tutorials Beat Text for Piano Teaching

Diagrams are a standard tool in piano pedagogy because they communicate hand positions instantly. A learner reading "play a C major triad" must decode three note names; a highlighted diagram shows the shape in one look. The keyboard range is adjustable from 1–8 octaves, so a diagram can zoom in on a single hand position or show a full 2-octave scale. Every screenshot exports in one of 3 image formats (PNG, JPG, WebP) at up to 4x resolution for print.

Toggle Mode Piano — Build Diagrams Key by Key

Enable Toggle Mode in Settings so keys stay highlighted after clicking. Or simply press T on your keyboard to toggle this mode on or off.

1. Click a key – it stays lit
2. Click more keys to build your chord or scale
3. Click a highlighted key again to remove it

This lets you build up any pattern visually before capturing.

See Settings for Toggle Mode settings.

Keyboard Shortcuts Overview

All shortcuts for creating diagrams at a glance:

The number keys, 0 / Backspace, # and S act on the highlighted key under the mouse — or, if the mouse is not over one, on the key you clicked last.

Creating a Piano Fingering Diagram

Show proper fingering on your diagrams. Finger numbers appear in the Info Bar below the keyboard, aligned with each key. They work on anything you highlight — from a 2-note interval to a 5-finger voicing — in all 12 keys, using the same 1-5 notation every pianist already reads.

On Desktop:
1. Build your chord or scale with Toggle Mode
2. Hover over any highlighted key – a red indicator appears at the top of the key
3. Press a number key (1-5) to assign that finger
4. The finger number appears in the Info Bar below the key

On Touch Devices:
1. Long-press on a highlighted key
2. A finger picker appears with buttons 1-5
3. Tap the desired finger number

To remove a finger number: Press 0 or Backspace (desktop), or tap × (touch).

Info Bar Display:

• White keys: White circle with black number
• Black keys: Light blue circle with black number
• Finger numbers stay aligned with their keys when resizing

Two Colors for Piano Teaching Materials

Use the secondary highlight color to show relationships in your diagrams:

1. Build your chord or scale with Toggle Mode (primary color - purple by default)
2. Hover over any highlighted key you want to change
3. Press S on your keyboard to switch it to the secondary color (orange by default)
4. Press S again to switch back to primary

Teaching Examples:

Customize colors in Settings → Display → Keys:

• Default Highlight Color – Primary color for most notes
• Secondary Highlight Color – Second color for emphasis

Draw on the Keyboard — Arrows, Circles & Notes

Some things a highlight cannot say on its own: which key to start on, where the thumb passes under, which notes belong together. For that, draw straight onto the keyboard.

1. In Toggle Mode, click the pen button in the header, next to the camera — or choose Create → Keyboard Capture, which switches Toggle Mode on for you. The Capture tools palette opens.
2. Switch on Draw on the keyboard and pick a tool: pen, highlighter, arrow, Circle it (hand-drawn) or text — plus select / move and eraser.
3. Choose a colour and draw. You can draw over the keys and over the bars above and below them — exactly the area that ends up in the image.
4. Switch Draw on the keyboard off to click keys again. Your drawing stays where it is.

Circle it turns the frame you drag into a loose, hand-drawn circle — wide around a chord, tall around a single key. The highlighter starts in neon yellow. Undo takes back the last step, Remove drawing clears everything at once.

Every screenshot includes your drawing — from the palette, the camera button or the C key. Drawings are meant for the moment: leaving Toggle Mode clears them, so take the screenshot first. If you change the keyboard range, the app asks whether to remove the drawing, since it would not match the keys any more.

Exporting Piano Teaching Materials as Images

Once your diagram looks right:

1. Click the camera button in the header – or press C on your keyboard, or click Take Keyboard Screenshot in the Capture tools palette
2. The image downloads automatically, including anything you drew on the keyboard

Capture settings (in Settings → Capture):

Use PNG at 2x for web content, PNG at 4x for print materials.

See Piano Image Export for all export options and presets.

>

For chord progressions: The Progression Generator can create an entire progression's diagrams in one click — select a key, choose the progression, and generate all tiles at once.

Display Options

Customize what appears in your diagram:

• Note Names – Show C, D, E on each key
• Highlight Color – Choose colors that fit your design
• Keyboard Range – Adjust visible octaves

Visual Tutorials Workflow Example

Creating a chord chart:

1. Press T to enable Toggle Mode
2. Build the first chord (e.g., C-E-G)
3. Optionally add finger numbers (1–5) and use two colors (S)
4. Optionally click the pen button and draw an arrow or a circle onto the keyboard
5. Press C to capture the image
6. Press P to clear everything – or F to clear only finger numbers
7. Build the next chord and capture again

Within minutes you have a complete set of diagrams ready for your content.

Tips for Professional Piano Fingering Diagram Sheets

• Consistency – Keep the same keyboard range across all diagrams
• Your own name – Replace or switch off the small badge under Settings → Branding (see White Labeling)
• Note names – Enable for beginners, disable for advanced materials

Related: Export images with the Piano Image Export. Generate chord sheets with the Progression Generator. Start Playing to create diagrams. See the Piano Diagram Maker for a full feature overview.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use toggle mode on the piano to create teaching materials?

Press T to enable Toggle Mode, then click the keys you want to highlight. Add finger numbers (1–5), switch keys to a second color with S, and press C to capture the image. Use PNG at 4x for print-quality piano teaching materials.

How do I create a piano fingering diagram?

3 steps: enable Toggle Mode, highlight the keys, then hover over each key and press a number key (1–5) to assign a finger. The piano fingering diagram appears in the Info Bar below the keyboard. On touch devices, long-press a highlighted key to open the finger picker.

What export formats are available for piano teaching materials?

3 image formats are available for piano teaching materials: PNG, JPG, and WebP, each at 1x, 2x, 3x, or 4x resolution. Use PNG at 2x for web content and PNG at 4x for print materials like eBooks or handouts.

How do the two highlight colors work in visual tutorials?

2 highlight colors are available: build your chord in the primary color (purple by default), then hover over any key and press S to switch it to the secondary color (orange by default). This is useful for showing root notes vs. chord tones, left hand vs. right hand, or tonic vs. dominant. Both colors are customizable in Settings.

Can I draw arrows or circles on a piano diagram?

Yes. In Toggle Mode, click the pen button in the header and switch on Draw on the keyboard. You can draw with a pen or highlighter, add arrows and text, or drag a frame with Circle it (hand-drawn) to circle a chord or a single key. The drawing is part of every screenshot you take; leaving Toggle Mode clears it.

Ready to try it?

Open The Ultimate Piano in your browser — no download needed.