Beginner Hand Independence in 7 Days
Get your hands working together.
Beginner piano players
If you’ve been playing for a while and have the basics down but still struggle to get both hands working together, you’re in the right place.
7 days
Jacob will guide you through 7 days of step-by-step instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.
Sync up your hands
This class will help you build the coordination and muscle memory you need to play confidently with both hands at the same time.
Take the next step
Once you've mastered this challenge, keep learning with more challenges and guided Learning Pathways.
What you'll learn
In this class, Jacob Durbin shows you how to build hand independence without relying on boring drills. Each day introduces a practical coordination strategy to make playing with both hands feel more natural.
- Build dexterity
- Get your hands working together
- Stay in control of independent rhythms
- Play with more confidence and flow
Curriculum
Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.
Your guided learning experience
In this 7-day Challenge, Jacob will help you break the chain between your hands so you can start combining melody and accompaniment with more control.
Autopilot hand
You’ll start by learning how to let one hand handle a simple repeating part while your brain focuses on the other.
Jacob will show you how to practice this slowly so both hands can start working together instead of fighting for your brain’s attention.
Sync points
In these lessons, you’ll learn how to spot the moments where both hands line up.
These checkpoints give your brain something to follow when melody and accompaniment start moving in different directions.
Rhythmic independence
Next, you’ll work on more sophisticated rhythms with offbeats by counting and finding similar hand patterns.
Jacob will show you how to simplify what your brain has to track so your hands can stay coordinated through tougher patterns.
Day 6. Moving shapes
You’ll learn how to make chord changes easier by thinking in shapes instead of individual notes. Jacob will show you how to move familiar chord patterns around the keyboard so your hands can stay coordinated without tracking every note individually.
Day 7. Hand-independence workout
With the core concepts under your fingers, you’ll bring together everything from the challenge in a final coordination workout designed to reinforce the skills you've built throughout the class.
Performances
Finally, you’ll apply your new hand-independence skills to one of two full performance pieces. These songs give you a chance to use all your new skills in a musical setting.
Day 1. Autopilot hand
You’ll start the class by learning how to give your brain one main thing to focus on. One hand will handle a simple repeating part while the other takes on a more active role.
Jacob will introduce the autopilot hand approach using simple two-hand patterns. You’ll begin with basic downbeat rhythms before adding new beats to help both hands feel more comfortable together.
Days 2-3. Sync points
In these lessons, you’ll learn how to find the moments where your fingers and hands land together. These checkpoints help your brain stay organized when the rhythm and notes start to feel more complex.
Day 2. Finding sync points
You’ll now practice spotting the beats where both hands line up. Jacob will guide you through focused coordination exercises that reinforce your checkpoints before challenging you to swap hands.
Day 3. Syncing the fingers
Now, you’ll apply the same idea to arpeggios. You’ll learn how finger-level sync points can make two-hand playing easier to manage.
Days 4-5. Rhythmic independence
In these lessons, you’ll build stronger rhythmic coordination by working with offbeat rhythms and learning what to do when both hands move in similar yet different patterns.
Day 4. Offbeat patterns
Jacob will help you explore the space between the beats so you can improve your rhythmic independence even when songs get more complicated. You’ll start with a steady foundation before adding offbeat movement.
Day 5. Similar hands
In this lesson, you’ll learn what to do when both hands play almost the same thing. Jacob will show you how to break the pattern into smaller pieces so your brain doesn’t force both hands into the same motion.
Days 6-7. Moving shapes and final workout
In the final two days, you’ll make chord changes easier by thinking in shapes instead of individual notes. Then, you’ll bring the full week together with a hand-independence workout.
Day 6. Moving in shapes
You’ll learn how to move familiar hand shapes around the keyboard so your brain can track the bigger pattern instead of every individual note. This helps your hands move more easily through chord changes.
Day 7. Workout
Finally, Jacob will guide you through a workout that pulls the class together into a fun musical challenge. After the workout, you’ll be ready to use your new hand-independence skills in your favorite songs.
Performances
Now that you’ve trained your hands to work more independently, it’s time to use those skills in full songs. You’ll play two original Jacob Durbin pieces that turn the week’s coordination tools into music.
REAL students
Don’t take our word for it, take theirs
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FULL REFUND, NO QUESTIONS ASKED
If you don’t get better, we’ll give you your money back
We’re so confident that Pickup Music can help you make progress that we’re underwriting your membership with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee.
Your Instructor
Jacob Durbin
With a focus on coordination and efficient practice, Jacob helps students make playing with both hands feel natural.
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