How to Use Fingertips

Using Fingertips with songs

Using Fingertips with songs

Chords are the framework that helps songs fit together.

👉 Start with a song you already know.

Find which chords it uses and use Fingertips to learn their shapes.

Practise changing between the chords until they begin to feel familiar.

Then bring in the melody — by ear, from a melody recording where provided, or in whatever way works best for you.

Fingertips also includes song examples, audio demonstrations and song sheets to help you hear and use chords in real musical context.

You don't need to master everything at once. Start with the chords, keep the tune in mind, and gradually bring the two together.

 

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 boxes

Each chord box 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.

 

Understanding the chord pages

At the top of each page is the chord box.

The other five elements provide additional help and musical context:

Audio — hear how the chord sounds.

Notation — see how the chord appears in standard musical notation.

Arpeggio — shows the notes as played one after another in a rising or falling order, rather than all at once.

Alternative Fingering — try other practical ways of playing the same chord.

Fingertips Tip — a short piece of useful information or playing advice.

Song Example / Chord Progression — see or hear how the chord can work in real musical context.

The supporting element shown may vary between chord pages.

 

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.

 

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.