Learning Mode

Learning Mode in The Ultimate Piano shows any scale, chord or key on the keyboard and on the staff at the same time. Change the root and both displays follow immediately. Seeing the same structure in two places at once is what makes it more than a chord chart — the name turns into a shape your hands recognise.

Learning Mode covers 14 scale types, 31 chord qualities, and the 7 diatonic chords of any key, all rendered directly on the piano and on a Grand Staff score. That makes music theory something you can see rather than only read about.

On this page

Scale Visualization on the Keyboard

Scale visualization is the core of Learning Mode: choose a root and a scale type, and every note of that scale highlights across the keyboard at once. The tonic (root) and the octave above it are coloured in your secondary highlight colour so the scale's anchor points stand out, and Roman numerals (I, II, III…) appear above each scale degree as a learning aid. Learning Mode supports all 14 scale types — major, minor, the five church modes, harmonic minor, melodic minor, plus major/minor pentatonic and major/minor blues.

How to Open Learning Mode

Click the Learn button in the keyboard header to open the Learning panel.

Three Modes

Switch between three modes from the Mode dropdown:

Selecting a root note, scale type, or chord quality updates the display immediately — no need to confirm. Highlights stay visible as long as the Learning Bar is open.

Scales, Chords & Diatonic Harmony

Scales

Display complete scales across the keyboard:

• Major and Minor scales
• Modes (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc.)
• Pentatonic and Blues scales
• Harmonic and Melodic Minor

The tonic (root) and the octave above it are highlighted in your secondary color so the scale's anchor points stand out. Roman numerals (I, II, III…) appear above each scale degree as a learning aid.

When you press Play, the keyboard plays the scale ascending one note at a time and the cursor in the score advances note by note in sync — exactly as it would when you read along.

Chords

Select any chord type and root note to see which keys make up that chord:

• Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented
• 7th chords (Major 7, Minor 7, Dominant 7, Diminished 7, Half-Diminished/m7b5)
• Extended chords (9th, min9, 11th, 13th)
• Suspended chords (sus2, sus4)
• Other: Power Chord (5), 6th, 6/9, add9

You can also view chord inversions:

• Root Position – Root note at the bottom
• 1st Inversion – Third at the bottom
• 2nd Inversion – Fifth at the bottom
• 3rd Inversion – Seventh at the bottom (7th chords only)

Diatonic Chords

Pick a root note and a scale type — Diatonic mode lights up the seven chord roots of that key (plus the octave I) and labels each key with:

• The chord name (e.g. Cm, Ddim, Eb) directly on the key, replacing the note name
• The Roman numeral (i, ii°, III, iv, V, VI, VII…) above the key, with case and symbols indicating quality (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor, ° = diminished, + = augmented)

The score below the keyboard displays the full diatonic chord progression of the key. Press Play to hear all eight chords in sequence — the cursor in the score advances one chord per beat so you can see exactly which chord is sounding.

Supported scale types: Major, Minor (natural / aeolian), all church modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian), Harmonic Minor, and Melodic Minor. Pentatonic and Blues scales are greyed out in the scale type selector — they don't have seven distinct degrees, so they cannot form a complete diatonic family.

Examples:

• C Major: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, B°, C — I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°, I
• A Natural Minor: Am, B°, C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am — i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI, VII, i
• A Harmonic Minor: Am, B°, C+, Dm, E, F, G#°, Am — i, ii°, III+, iv, V, VI, vii°, i

Features

Visual Overlay

When you select a scale, chord, or diatonic key, the corresponding keys light up on the keyboard. This helps you:

• See the shape and pattern of the structure
• Understand which notes are included
• Learn the intervals between notes

In Scale and Diatonic mode the tonic and its octave are coloured with the secondary highlight, marking the anchor points of the key.

Octave Selection

In Scale and Diatonic mode, use the − / + buttons in the Octave segment (or the keyboard shortcuts − and +) to shift the displayed structure up or down on the keyboard. This is useful when the visible keyboard range doesn't align well with the natural centre of your scale.

Automatic Fingerings

Learning Mode automatically displays standard piano fingerings for chords and scales. Finger numbers (1–5) appear in the Info Bar below the keyboard, showing the recommended fingering for each note.

• Chord fingerings — correct hand positions for all chord types and inversions
• Scale fingerings — standard fingerings including thumb-under positions, available for right hand and left hand

Play Button & Score Cursor

Click Play to hear the selected structure automatically:

• Scale — notes play ascending one at a time; the score cursor advances note by note
• Chord — all notes sound simultaneously
• Diatonic — all 8 chords (seven degrees + octave I) play in sequence; the score cursor advances chord by chord

The score is rendered on a Grand Staff in Scale and Diatonic mode so the cursor always lands on a real staff line, regardless of how high or low the structure sits on the keyboard. In Diatonic mode the score automatically distributes each chord between the treble and bass clef based on its pitch — chords in the lower octaves appear in the bass clef instead of with many ledger lines.

Key Selection with Circle of Fifths

Click the key button in the header to open the Circle of Fifths — an interactive wheel showing all 12 major and minor keys. Select any key to set the global key context for Learning Mode, note name spellings, and the Chord Chart Generator.

Root Note Selection

Choose any root note to transpose the chord or scale across the keyboard. The dropdown uses musically preferred spellings:

• Flat keys: Db, Eb, Ab, Bb (not C#, D#, G#, A#)
• Sharp keys: F# (more common than Gb)

This matches standard music theory conventions and key signature usage.

Display Options

Customize how chords and scales appear in Settings → Display:

• Highlight Color – Choose your preferred color for highlighted keys
• Rainbow Highlights – Show each note in a different color
• Note Names on Keys – Display note labels on the keys

Musically Correct Note Names

Learning Mode automatically displays note names in their musically correct spelling based on the chord or scale context. For example:

• F# Major scale shows F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E# (not Gb, Ab, Bb...)
• Bb Minor chord shows Bb, Db, F (not A#, C#...)
• C#dim7 shows C#, E, G, Bb (correct context for diminished 7th)

This ensures you learn the theoretically correct note names, regardless of your global Sharp/Flat preference in Settings.

Use Cases

Capture any chord, scale, or diatonic visualization as an image with the Piano Diagram Maker.

• Music Theory Study – Understand how chords, scales, and the diatonic chords of a key are constructed
• Improvisation – See which notes fit over a chord progression and which chords belong to a key
• Songwriting – Explore the chord palette of a key visually with Diatonic mode
• Teaching – Demonstrate scale, chord, and diatonic harmony structures to students, and create diagrams for lesson materials
• Reference – Quickly look up any chord, scale, or key's diatonic chord family

For young learners: Enable Kids Icons to show fun animal characters instead of note names.

Learning vs. Practice Hub

• Learning Mode – Explore and understand (visual reference)
• Practice Hub – Actively train with exercises and feedback: Chords, Scales, Notes, or Ear Training

Tip: Combine Learning Mode with Toggle Mode to keep structures highlighted while you experiment with different voicings or play along.

Advanced: Discover chromatic connections with Passing Chords between any two chord shapes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many chord types are available in Learning Mode?

31 chord qualities are available in Learning Mode: Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented, sus2, sus4, all seventh chords (Maj7, Min7, Dom7, Dim7, m7b5), extended chords (9th, min9, 11th, 13th), plus Power Chord, 6th, 6/9, and add9. Each can be viewed in all inversions in The Ultimate Piano.

How many scale types does scale visualization support?

14 scale types are supported in scale visualization: major, minor, the five church modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian), harmonic minor, melodic minor, and major/minor pentatonic and blues. Pick a root and the whole scale lights up across the keyboard with Roman numerals above each degree.

What is Diatonic mode?

7 diatonic chords are shown in Diatonic mode — the chords that naturally belong to a key. Pick a root and a scale type, and the keyboard lights up the seven chord roots, each labelled with the chord name (Cm, Ddim, …) and its Roman numeral (i, ii°, III, …). The score displays the full diatonic harmony progression and Play steps through all eight chords in sequence. Diatonic mode works with any seven-note scale (Major, Minor, all modes, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor); pentatonic and blues scales are not available because they don't have seven distinct degrees.

Does Learning Mode show finger numbers automatically?

Yes. When you select a chord or scale, standard piano fingerings (1-5) appear automatically in the Info Bar below the keyboard. Scale fingerings include thumb-under positions for both right and left hand.

What is the difference between Learning Mode and the Practice Hub?

Learning Mode is for exploring and understanding — select any scale, chord, or key's diatonic chords to see and hear them on the keyboard. The Practice Hub is for active training — the system gives you a chord or scale to play and grades your response with instant feedback.

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