Piano Embellishments | Fills, Runs, & Scales

Master the major scale, starting from C or F and moving by tone and semitone, using the standard formula tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone, and practice across all 12 keys.

Master major scale fingering using the three-five formula for white keys, note the f major exception with four fingers, and apply black-key rules for fluent, ascending and descending scales.

Explore how the major scale forms diatonic chords and triads, enables six four one five progressions, and supports melodic improvisation over simple chord progressions.

Explore grace notes as a powerful embellishment by flipping from the second to the third in major and minor chords, with practical voicings and chord progressions.

Master semitone grace notes flipping from flat three to the third, blues-inspired. Practice these on progressions like F major to C major to D minor to B flat major.

Explore semitone grace notes moving to the third, then the five or the one, and apply these embellishments to chord progressions like G, D, A minor, and C.

Learn a simple sus4 to major embellishment, replacing the third with a two or four and flipping to major for powerful color on progressions like I–V–vi–IV, including blues context.

Use reverse chords on piano embellishments to add texture and a heavier finish to chord progressions, especially those with more than three notes.

Borrow the one from the preceding chord to embellish your progressions by playing the preceding chord's root just before moving to the next chord, often on the last count.

Borrow the five of the preceding chord to embellish your piano sound, using the five (and sometimes the one) across simple progressions and improvising by mixing one and five.

Learn to borrow the one and five of the preceding chord to embellish a progression, using sustain pedal and four-beat counting to create smooth, grooved transitions.

Learn to borrow the 1-2-5 from the preceding chord as a piano embellishment across progressions like C-G-Am-F, building varied, expressive fills and runs while mastering root position and inversions.

Learn to embellish with targets by aiming a third on each chord using the 1-2-3 approach, including grace notes, across major, minor, and various chord progressions.

Master the five-four-three fill to target a third, using the pinky and ring finger, with one-two-three patterns, staying in the scale across major and minor progressions.

Apply the preceding three-to-one embellishment to chord progressions with a clear four-count rhythm. Learn to place and execute the three-to-one fill across chords and refine your piano playing.

Explore a fast 3-2-1 trill embellishment using grace notes on the third and second degrees, demonstrated over C, F, and G chords.

Learn to add a fast 1-2-3-2-1 trill embellishment to the three-to-one feel, creating varied piano chord progressions in C, G, A minor, and F using the number system.

Explore fast 4-5-3-2-1 trill embellishments and their variations for piano fills and runs, using five four three two one patterns and four by four timing on f to c.

Apply right-hand pedaling on the fifth to sustain the top note across chord progressions, using one-five-one patterns and inversions to keep the fifth on top.

Explore the seven one five fill, a simple piano embellishment across chords in a key like C, usable in intros, interludes, or the main song section.

Explore the 3-4-1 fill, using three, four, and the note above to spice chord progressions in various keys, with emphasis on two and four chord positions and left-hand support.

Explore the one-seven-five fill pattern for piano embellishments, using the major scale to weave melodic fills over common chord progressions like G–D–Em–C and D–A–Bm–G.

Explore left hand patterns for piano, including one five one and one five two, with inversions in the C major progression to enrich rhythm.

Choose a three-step chord progression and decide the right-hand parts to use. Create four-count patterns over the progression, practice inversions, and refine timing to craft engaging piano embellishments.

Learn a quick trick to find chord numbers in any key, using the one five six four progression to play chords in all keys.

Learn to use the sustain pedal to make chords sound together, and practice the step-on, lift-off technique with a 1-5-6-4 progression for fluid piano playing.

Explore the chromatic scale, starting from C, which plays every half step from any starting note, with recommended fingering using three fingers to practice scales across octaves, including left-hand exercises.

Explore basic chromatic scale applications to embellish piano melodies, including chromatic lead-ins to target notes, landings on roots or thirds, and short chromatic runs within melodic lines.

Explore the natural minor scale, its whole- and half-step construction, and how starting on the major scale's sixth degree reveals the relative minor.

Explore how to use the natural minor scale to create melodies over minor chord progressions, with examples in C minor, D minor, and B-flat minor, including harmonic minor scale ideas.