I am looking for a “cheat code” for years now. Have tried tons of chord & pattern tools, but my conclusion is i need to learn the piano. I think learning how to play scores will help me more with my music than learning scales by heart, so i am trying that right now.
Problem there is that it’s one continous surface. With real mechanical keys our fingers have a good feedback, where we are. Linnstrument was also made to have a guitar/violine like playing option of sliding, which is not possible with standard keyboards.
I use a Erae Touch and playing blind would be even on a reduced scale and isomorphic layout a challenge. But on this it would work:
TLDR;
Back to the OP, you see the white keys of a keyboard?
Start by the C note then jump over the next one and play the E. Keep on until you have 3, 4, 5 notes and you get the 1st chord of C major scale.
Start from D and repeat, you get the 2nd chord of C major scale.
When you get all the 7 chords, congrats!
One of the faster ways to be confronted with composition on the piano is the study of blues music, together with a teacher.
Blues forms the basis of many contemporary music styles, among which, most prominently, rock. In its songs, the harmonic structure is repeated all the time, improvisation sneaks in early, and you can build quite rapidly a repertoire of interchangeable bass figures, melody and comping patterns. Those are the tools not only for the live performer but also for the composer.
Salsa and early tango share a similar approach to music, so those could be alternative learning paths on the piano.
Theory wise, the book Harmonic Experience by Mathieu attempts to explain harmony in a more emotional way. This is very helpful, even if it is not a read for the faint of heart. For example, for modal music, it orders the modes by colour as expressed using the sun and the moon (bright vs dark), which in the end is explained by their relationship in terms of 5ths: Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, etc. Compare this to Mark Levine’s Jazz Theory or other authoritative works, which tend to explain the modes in the order that they arise in the major scale: Ionian, Dorian, etc.
Harmony is most often taught on an academic or technical level, as opposed to a more emotional or musical level. Unless you have a lot of time to connect the dots yourself by learning and practicing without exactly knowing why, this learning habit is terribly inefficient for the hobby musician.
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If you are interested in grid controllers at all and have an iPad, there are several apps which are a relatively inexpensive way of at least trying out the layout.
You obviously aren’t going to get the same tactile feedback or expression capabilities, but it made me realize that I probably do want to learn to play a grid controller rather than a keyboard (as my keyboard skills are basic, and decades old).
I find an isomorphic layout far more intuitive than a keyboard - and it seems like that should be doubly true if you can play the guitar:
I’m not sure what the best options are today, but I picked up Musix Pro since it seemed quite flexible and lets you try various isomorphic layouts (hex, square, and rectangle).
This is an older app now though - so it’s not as flexible if you’re wanting to use it with iOS synths rather than a MIDI controller for hardware (no AUv3 support).
EDIT: GeoShred Control has more limited customization, but is a free AUv3 MIDI controller.
I suppose the main downside to learning a grid is that keyboards are the default option built into most synths, unless you’re fine with setting up a MIDI controller for all of them.
I’ve heard multiple people whose opinion I trust say that the Push 3 pads are better than the Linnstrument, as they are more sensitive and expressive - though the initial ‘activation’ of a key is still less sensitive than a keyboard.
The downside is that it’s also much smaller, with 64 pads rather than 128/200.
I’d love it if Ableton would release something like an extended Push 3 grid, but without the Push functionality to keep the price down.
Make it a MIDI instrument rather than a complete DAW controller.
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I’ve always found I have a lot of trouble breaking out of the same old habits with grid controllers… while piano layout I tend not to get stuck. Can’t say I really know why I have such a mental block when it comes to iso grids, maybe because while I had guitar lessons as a kid first, we also had a piano in the house and that was where I would sit and just goof around finding note patterns. I suppose my thought is just play whatever you find interesting, but try to find ways to push yourself.
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I’m the same way. I can play guitar a little but I never really felt that connection with a grid controller, even when it’s tuned in 4ths. I don’t have any keyboard performance skills but nothing beats a piano for feeling around until you find an inspiring chord or two.
In my experience, 64 pads are great for leads and bass, but not very comfortable for chords. Add bigger pads, which may be detrimental to chords and faster playing, and in the end it depends on what you want from it.
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I have heard the pads on the push 3 are great, but there are really not enough of them. If a full size linnstrument would be an 88 key keyboard the push is a 25 key. There are probably enough pads to play a melody, but chords and inversions of those chords will give you trouble, as will longer pitch slides (you can’t even slide 1 octave on the push since a row is only 8 pads long and you need 12 semitones). Also probably not very comfortable to use it with two hands and you don’t have the same control over the grid layout as you do on the linnstrument (for example a tritone layout makes the most sense for an isomorphic controller, but the push 3 doesn’t let you offset the grid rows this way).
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I developed my own version of the “three note secret” on the piano. Here is how it works:
First of all, it helps to have large enough hands to play octaves comfortably between the thumb and pinkie.
Next, pick a simple melody or a scale. Play it in your right right hand, in octaves (thumb on the lower octave, pinkie on the higher octave. That leaves the remaining three fingers to fill out chords.
You can use your left hand to play bass notes for reference, if you wish.
Back to the right hand: If you’re trying for some flavor of C major chord and the thumb and pinkie are playing C’s, then you have a couple options. For a C6 chord, play EGA on the middle fingers. For a C7 chord, play EGB.
Do the same exercise, but this time play G’s on the thumb and pinkie. For a C6 chord, play ACE on the inside fingers, for a C7 chord, play BCE on the inside fingers.
If you don’t know enough music theory to form the “inside” 3-note chords, don’t worry. Just keep playing around with combinations until something sounds right.
This exercise is great for finger independence. The fullness of the harmony while using all five fingers provides a lot of aural feedback to help our “ear” do the right thing.
Try the exercise by playing the thumb and pinkie “on” the beat…and the inside voices “off” the beat.
I have learned the absolute most about harmonizing on the piano through this method.
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Best to check the Linnstrument FAQ, which answers exactly this question:
https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/support/support-linnstrument-faqs
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Nice !
Another Three Note Secret
This one involves the tri-tone inteval, or if you prefer the devil’s interval. It is also be called the augment fourth or the diminished fifth.
This post is longer, but you can break it down and learn it in simple individual pieces.
First how to find a tri-tone interval on the standard keyboard. Find the two 'W’s on the keyboard. The three black keys together make the top of the ‘W’ with the two white keys between these three making the bottom of the ‘W’. A two and a three part – five keys.
The other ‘W’ is upside down, or can be seen as an ‘M’. The two part, the bottom of the inverted ‘W’ are the two black keys together. The top of the inverted ‘W’ are the white keys around those two. A two and a three part – five keys.
If you play the same part of both 'W’s together, that interval is a tri-tone. ( With the right hand i usually use the thumb and ring finger together, or the index and the pinky. )
Five and five makes ten, but there are twelve chromatic notes in the scale, where are the other two ? They are the two white keys that lay between the two 'W’s. The F and the B. The B and the F. Together they are also tri-tones.
Notice the inversion of the tri-tone is still the same tri-tone. This is the only interval with this self reflexive inversion.
OK, great. So what ?
Well play any of the six tri-tones with your right hand. Then with your left hand find one of the two notes that is exactly a whole tone ( two notes ) above one of those two notes, and play it down an octave or two with your left hand. You automatically are playing a very nice sounding dominant seven drop five chord. Notice there are always two possible bass notes. And notice too, that these two possible bass notes are always a tri-tone interval apart.
OK, great. So what ?
Now shift the tri-tone down one half step, one note, and play the bass note two notes up on the other side. Boom that’s a dominant seven drop five that is a fourth above the first root chord. Sounds like the blues.
And indeed if you go the other way from the first tri-tone, up a half step and play the bass note on the other side again. Boom that’s a dominant seven drop five that is a fifth above the first root chord. That’s the third chord that makes up the core of the blues ( and a lot more music ).
Turns out if you repeat this and go another half step either up or down you get two more interesting dominant seven drop five chords used in the blues ( and lots of other music too ). Up is the second, and down is the flat seventh chord.
And indeed if you just go up or down the half step with these tri-tones chromatically, and keep flipping the side you pick for the bass note two notes up, you go 'round the circle of fifths. You go around the circle in opposite directions depending whether you move the tritone up or down chromatically.
You may notice that the tri-tone interval played by itself may sound a little sour to your ears, but you add one of the two bass notes and it sounds good. Then make the one-four, one-five chord transitions with it and it really is nice.
( At this point you might want to look up “tri-tone substitution”, which is something used often in jazz music, and is closely related to the three note game we have just worked through. )
OK, great. So what ? You’re stuck with dominant seven drop five chords forever !?
Well next step. With the left hand instead of just playing the one base note, play the fifth above it too. Now it’s a full dominant seven chord.
Or instead play the bass note that is three notes up from one of the two tri-tone notes. Boom that’s a diminished chord.
You can also notice that tri-tones, also are repeated throughout the whole tone scale, and the augmented chord is part of that scale as well. We’re now bringing in musical elements from Debussy, i won’t continue off in that direction though.
I also won’t go off to look at how to work with and what happens with two note intervals other than tri-tones, like when perfect fourths and fifths ( diminshed and augmented tri-tones as it were 
), are played with the right hand and combined with certain notes played with the left hand.
I will say though – and this gets into a four note secret – all minor and major seven chords can be made of combinations of two perfect fifth intervals ( perfect fourths too, as inverted fifths ) each played together with the two separate hands. That’s why they sound so good. Flipping these things around makes interesting chord progressions.
These systems helps you see the standard keyboard as a harmonic whole. Messing around with them will rub off and get the harmony into your fingers.
You won’t be playing like a performer, but more like a composer.
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Thanks @Scyphozoa @alexwasashrimp @HBIII @g3o2 …. makes total sense regarding the amount of pads in comparison - I can definitely see the appeal of the Linnstrument.
This sounds pretty interesting. I’ve meaning to learn about tri-tones for a while. So, thanks! However, I’m very confused by the first half of your description. Could you explain, or point to a link?
You wrote:
… and then…
… F and B (or B and F) are separated by an augmented fourth/dim fifth (I think). So what does all the stuff about Ws and Ms add? Isn’t the aug 4th “all of it”?
Presumably I just missed something. So you say…
What does “play the same part of both” mean?
You really lost me here 
Play the same note in both, but that sounds wrong. There are five notes along the two "W"s. If you find the same place in both "W"s, those two notes are always a tri-tone apart.
This is a visual aid to see the keyboard in another way. If it doesn’t work for you, and your hand can naturally just fall on any augmented fourth or diminished fifth then ignore it.
As i said augmented fourth or diminished fifth and tri-tone are all different names for the same interval. You can use the different names at different times, but it’s still the same interval.
This interval is always a black note and a white note, except for F and B / B and F.
I am not aware of a web-site with this, though it probably exists. I was taught this by a jazz pianist.
ADDED : … who was in to Thelonius Monk.
That fully explains it for me. Thanks a lot!
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My advice is this:
There are 24 chords you need to know.
12 Major chords. 12 Minor chords.
Learn one or two a day. Soon you’ll know the shapes of them all, by sight, sound, and hand feel.
Next learn the 1st and 2nd inversions. Do them all. Notice how the inversions are often a note or two from other chords.
Next look up some songs or popular chord progressions. Play them.
Now learn how to add colour to chords with 7ths, 9ths, etc. Learn what every single one means. Its like learning a very simple language with simple rules.
Now forget all of that and sit down at the piano. Switch your brain off and let it flow!
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It’s probably just me, but that’s pretty much the first thing i tried and i worked it hard and got no where doing that.
I’m good now, but that never worked for me. I needed a more harmony based approach.
Makes sense, everyone is different!
I’ve never had lessons, learned to play instruments by ear, so I’m unaware of proper ways of going about it.
It worked for me though! Got better by playing along to Muse songs etc, working them out (mostly incorrectly admittedly). I have good grasp of theory but that kind of just happened along the way.
I’m not a keys player really, a lot better on guitar and drums!
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So what isomorphic controllers would people recommend?