Today’s practice

Today’s practice, start to finish

KeyFu is a piano practice app for iPhone and iPad. Here is one day’s practice, from the cable to the coach’s recap, and every screen below is the real app.

Sit down. Plug in.

iPad on the music stand or iPhone by the keys, one USB cable. Tell KeyFu how many keys you have, from 25 to 88, and the exercises it picks stay inside them.

Keyboard and sound settings, Connection: a digital piano found over USB, marked USB · PRECISE, with Rescan, and below it Connect a Bluetooth keyboard — Your keyboard over USB, or connect one over Bluetooth

USB works the moment you plug in. For Bluetooth MIDI, tap Connect a Bluetooth keyboard in KeyFu, then pick your keyboard.

Say what you want

Set it once, change it any time: a bassline you can’t play yet, chords while you sing, both hands without a video.

The goal screen: four ready-made goals (Just sit down and play, Songs I love, My own ideas, Chord fluency) and a goal typed in the player’s own words, “Something of my own, both hands, without a video” — Your goal, in your own words

Pick a ready-made goal, add your own words, or both. Rings on your skill wheel mark the skills it leans on, and changing it resets nothing.

KeyFu plans today

Today’s session is built from your goal and what your hands played before, sized to your time. The coach says why, and names anything new.

Today’s session, about 20 minutes, in C major, with a Change time button; a line from KeyFu, the coach, that the rolled sevenths stay at the same tempo while they settle in; and the warm-up it starts with, Minor five-finger home and One note past your hand — The plan for the minutes you have, warm-up first

Start it, change how long it runs, or skip an exercise for today. It plays in today’s key: the coach’s pick, or one you choose on the home screen.

Play

Blocks move toward a line, with the keys outlined below, and the roll waits until your chord is down. It’s there while a shape is new; one tap hides it.

1–5–6m–4 in E♭ major. Blue, left hand: the note each chord is named after, on the beat. Gold, right hand: the chord.

When the roll has stopped earning its keep, the coach may offer to leave it off; you’re always asked first. A shape that’s new to you can start untimed, in Shapes first.

Where next time starts

Next time does not begin at 01 again. Come back after a longer break and it eases in rather than starting over.

The Done card after an exercise: KeyFu says it held and you played it out to the end, good place to stop, same set next time; Timing and Chord shapes are marked as up — How it went, where next time starts, which skills grew.

Each exercise ends on a Done card: what moved, what dipped, what’s next. His recap in the coach thread can name what to work on next, and your dashboard shows it.

Everything else in the app

Today’s practice, in the app manual

Join the beta

Invitations go out in small waves. KeyFu is free during the beta.

We send one confirmation email, then invitations in small waves. The beta is for adults (18+).

This list is run by KeyFu (Martin Neuschulz), Kurt-Eisner-Straße 58, 04275 Leipzig, Germany, hi@keyfu.app (privacy).

You need an iPhone or iPad and a keyboard that connects by USB or Bluetooth MIDI — most current digital pianos do.