How to Use Fingertips

Using Fingertips with songs

Outside of Paths, the best way to use Fingertips is simple:

👉 Start with a song you want to play.

Find a lyric-and-chord sheet for a song you love

Look up any unfamiliar chords in Fingertips

Learn the shapes and sounds

Return to the song and keep going

Over time, you’ll begin to recognise patterns, familiar shapes, and how chords work together.

Because of copyright, Fingertips cannot include every modern song — but the same approach works across all styles of music.

 

Use Fingertips as a reference

Fingertips is not a course to complete.

There is:

no fixed order

no “finish line”

no right or wrong place to start

Use it as a reference you return to whenever you sit at the keyboard.

 

Understanding the chord pages

Each chord page combines two elements:

A hand photograph, showing how the chord is naturally played

A diagram, showing which notes and fingers are used

The photograph focuses on shape, spacing, and how the hand uses the keyboard in practice. You’ll often see the hand reaching between black notes to play white notes underneath — this reflects real, comfortable playing rather than a flat, front-edge position.

The diagram removes any ambiguity, clearly showing the notes and fingering.

Together, they show both how a chord feels and what it contains.

 

Fingering and hand position

The fingerings shown in Fingertips are clear reference shapes, not fixed rules.

In practice, many chords can be played using simpler or more comfortable fingerings — especially for beginners.

For example, a triad may be shown as 1–2–3 to highlight the shape, while many players will naturally use 1–3–5.

Fingerings often change depending on:

what comes before a chord

what comes after it

tempo, style, or personal comfort

Fingertips reflects how chords are seen, understood, and used, not just one “correct” way of playing them.

 

How Fingertips is organised

Fingertips presents chords in two complementary ways:

Chord Chapters — chords introduced in a practical order, starting with the most useful and familiar

Chord Library — chords grouped by colour family, making it easy to browse and compare

Colour families indicate musical function:

Yellow — Major

Blue — Minor

Orange — Dominant

Purple — Suspended

Green — Colour chords

Red — Extended chords

These are visual guides, not difficulty levels.

Middle C as a reference point

Middle C appears on every chord diagram as a consistent visual anchor.

It helps you quickly understand where a chord sits on the keyboard.

The diagram shows position.
The photograph shows how the chord is naturally played.

Together, they give both orientation and practical shape.

 

Chord names and spellings

Some chords can be written in more than one way. For example, C♯ Major and D♭ Major are the same sounding chord, written differently.

Fingertips shows both names so you can recognise the chord wherever you encounter it.

Clarity and usability are prioritised over strict theoretical formality.

 

The supporting elements on each page

In addition to the main chord box, pages include rotating supporting elements such as:

Fingertips Tips

Chord progressions

Song examples

Audio examples

Alternative Fingering

These help connect chords to real musical use, not just isolated shapes.

 

Using Fingertips effectively

There is no single correct way to use Fingertips, but these approaches work well:

Compare similar chords and listen for differences

Apply chords to songs you already know

Experiment with progressions

Revisit chords over time

👉 Trust your ear — it’s more important than theory here.

 

Final note

You don’t need to understand everything before you begin.

👉 Start playing, and let it make sense as you go.