RUNdamentals: The Essential Modern Piano Runs Guide

Master the downward glissando on white keys using the thumb; pair with the index finger if needed to start sections, as in Jackson 5's I want you back.

Learn upward glissando by leading with the right-hand middle finger. See its use during a key change in the song I'll never love this way again from B-flat to C.

Learn in and out glissando, a double-handed run led by middle fingers, with the left hand on the low root note to heighten key changes, like in Stevie Wonder's overjoyed.

Drop the arm bar glissando to create a Ben Folds style, aggressive rock piano run with a distinctive smush sound and a high-register, chaotic punk vibe.

Learn to time the glissando by defining its start time and end time, aligning it with beat one, beat two, beat three, or the end of four.

Learn to perform the double handed run by alternating the left and right hands and crossing over, starting on c major seven (and f major seven) as shown.

Master the one-handed run by using wrist rotation and natural hand motion, practicing four-note sixteenth groups on c major seven, and using a metronome to gradually increase speed.

Master the 1.5 hand run, with the left hand playing a single note while the right hand completes the run, easing awkward chords like E-flat major seven.

Explore single hand extension runs by moving chord shapes up the keyboard, using voicings for major seven, minor seven, and dominant seven (sus, add 9, 13, 11, 4).

Learn to play sustain runs and triad runs using sus 2, sus 4, and add 9, explore inversions and fingerings, and apply varied voicings across C and other triads.

Add the nine to major seven, minor seven, and dominant seven chords as an easy substitution. Use a simple right-hand voicing with the left hand on the root.

Explore advanced major seven voicings and one-hand runs, starting on three, five, and seven, while using chordal harmony and tensions or extensions for color.

Learn advanced minor seven runs with practical left-hand voicings, including 5-7-3 minor 3, flat seven, flat three, 11, and 7-9-3-3, plus adding 9 or 11.

Master advanced dominant seven voicings for piano, including add nine, flat nine, sharp nine, 11, and 5–13 shapes, creating tense, open, and sustained sounds through varied voicing positions.

Learn to craft piano fills by using chord shells and inversions, turning triads and intervals into flowing runs on chords like C major, E minor, and F and G.

Master the shell run by combining shell and middle notes through inversions, then apply it to chords like F over G to create a sus sound, with focused inversion practice.

Explore the advanced shell run by practicing outer, inner, and bottom notes in triplets, or in groups of two, four, or sixteenth notes.

Learn to play modal runs by selecting notes from the current mode and outlining octave fills in any key. Create melodic phrases to fill the space when the singer breathes.

Learn to craft interval fills using thirds and sixths within the key of C to create a melodic counter melody that complements the main piano line.

Practice powerful fills across all 12 keys by playing octaves, thirds, and sixths on every beat with a metronome, developing key vision and easy transposition.

Master the course's core runs—one-handed, two-handed, and various chord voicings with shell intervals. Apply them to songs, especially ballads, and practice fills with a slow metronome to build speed.