Singing at the Piano
Like Duolingo, but for Singing at the Piano. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Art of Self-Accompaniment, Expressive Coordination, Arranging for the Soloist, and The Mechanics of Performance. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Singing at the Piano
- The left hand acts as a metronome by playing steady quarter-note root notes
- Playing the exact vocal melody on piano often creates a cluttered, 'karaoke' sound
- Stripping syncopation from the bass prevents rhythmic conflict with the vocal line
- The right hand fills the 'holes' in the vocal melody to maintain momentum
- Simplifying the left hand to provide a rhythmic anchor for the voice
- Using the right hand to mirror vocal cues without doubling the melody
- Sustained 'pad' chords reduce sonic clutter so the lyrics remain intelligible
- The sustain pedal allows the piano to ring out while the hands remain still
- Maintaining the vocal tempo is more important than hitting a specific piano voicing
- Sustaining chords to create 'vocal space' for lyrical delivery
- Ad-libbing a simple shell voicing keeps the song moving when a mistake occurs
- The 'pocket' is created by singing slightly behind or ahead of the rigid piano pulse
- A steady piano 'four-on-the-floor' provides the grid for vocal syncopation
- The lead-sheet mindset: prioritizing the song's flow over note-perfect reading
- Finding the 'pocket' where the vocal rhythm sits against the piano pulse
- The left hand acts as a metronome, maintaining a rigid pulse regardless of vocal phrasing.
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Singing at the Piano the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why do many professional self-accompanists avoid playing the exact vocal melody on the piano?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
Where Singing at the Piano takes you
Bridge the gap between your hands and your voice. This course teaches the coordination, arrangement, and expressive techniques needed to perform as a self-accompanied soloist.
- 1
The Art of Self-Accompaniment
- Foundations of Simultaneous Performance
- Developing Rhythmic Independence
- 2
Expressive Coordination
- Vocal Phrasing and Articulation
- Mastering Dynamic Balance
- 3
Arranging for the Soloist
- Interpreting and Altering Melodies
- Chord Voicing for Singers
- 4
The Mechanics of Performance
- Resonance and Acoustic Interaction
- Transposition and Performance Health
4 sections · 8 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Singing at the Piano is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Singing at the Piano today.
Download Tomo, search Singing at the Piano, and play your first lesson in under a minute.