Rise Keys — sound better the day you start

01 — The problem

Wrong notes are why people quit.

Every beginner faces the same brutal math: for months, most of what you play sounds bad. Not because you lack talent — because hands take time, and until they catch up, every slip is loud, sour, and discouraging. Most people quit right there.

Rise Keys removes the sour. It listens to every note you play, understands the key and chord you're in, and when a note doesn't fit, it corrects it to one that does — in under a millisecond, before the sound reaches your ears. You hear the music you meant. Practice becomes rewarding on day one, so you actually come back on day two.

It's not autotune for piano. It's a confidence engine — and it steps back automatically as your hands improve.

■ what you played ■ wrong note caught ■ what everyone hears

02 — The intelligence

Trained on seven million notes
of real piano.

RISE KEYS LIVE

Key

BPM

Chord

The real dashboard — every RK-1 serves this live to any phone on your wifi.

Inside the box is a model trained on 7,040,164 notes of real piano performances — it knows what note comes next the way a session player does. Layered on top: live key detection, chord tracking, and tempo following that lock onto your playing within a few bars.

Every note you play is scored against all of it in well under a millisecond. Notes that fit pass through untouched. Notes that don't get moved to the nearest note that does — so corrections land inside the music, never against it.

And because it all runs on the box, there's no internet required, no account, no listening microphone, and nothing leaving your home.

03 — Adaptive by design

It meets you where you are —
and gets out of the way as you rise.

Rise Keys continuously classifies how you're playing and matches its help to your level. Hand the keyboard to anyone in the family — it re-adapts within seconds.

Learning

Strong correction pulls everything into key. An automatic left hand lays a bass note under your melody, and gentle timing help lands rushed notes on the beat. One finger sounds like music, today.

Getting there

Moderate correction that fixes slips but respects your choices. The coach starts telling you what to practice, and the trouble-key map shows exactly where your fingers fumble.

Solid

Nearly invisible. Your chords get smoother voice-leading, blue notes and passing tones are left alone, and the session stats prove the box is barely working. That's the goal.

04 — More teacher than crutch

A patient teacher that
never checks its watch.

COACH

Plain-English advice, live

One tip at a time, drawn from how you're actually playing: "You're rushing ahead of the beat — relax and land on it." No jargon, no judgment.

LESSONS

35 graded lessons with real rhythm

From Hot Cross Buns to Für Elise, plus scales, 12-bar blues, waltz patterns, and Hanon drills. A count-in clicks you off, an on-screen keyboard shows which keys to press, and you're graded on pitch and timing.

TRAINER

Chord quizzes that level up

It asks for a chord, listens, and names exactly which note you missed. Triads first; sevenths once you're on a streak. Correction pauses during quizzes — grades are honest.

STARS

Something to beat

Every lesson scores 1–3 stars. Full tempo and clean timing earn the third star — slow practice builds up to it, exactly like a good teacher would structure it.

PROGRESS

Proof you're improving

Every session is logged. Assist falling week over week is your playing rising — objective evidence, not a feeling. It's the reason for the name.

RECORDINGS

Every session, captured

Your enhanced performances are saved as standard MIDI files on the box. Replay them, share them, or drop them into GarageBand.

05 — An instrument, not an app

Knobs, switches, and sounds —
no subscription behind any of them.

Nine instrument sounds — grand piano, electric piano, vibraphone, organ, strings, and four synth voices we wrote from scratch. No licensed samples, no downloads, nothing to unlock.

Implied sustain pedals like a pianist: harmonies ring, fast runs stay clean, and lifting your hands ends the phrase — no pedal required (though a real one takes over the moment you plug it in).

Real controls: metronome with tap-along tempo, transpose, master volume, correction strength, sustain feel, key lock, flats/sharps — physical buttons on the box, full knobs on the dashboard.

And updates are free, forever. The RK-1 you reserve keeps getting better.

assist needed, week by week (illustrative)

Less help needed = real skill gained. Your dashboard draws this from your actual sessions.

06 — Specifications

Small box. Complete instrument.

Correction latency	Under 1 ms decision time — faster than sound leaves a speaker
Works with	Any class-compliant USB MIDI keyboard — every major brand, 25 to 88 keys
Connections	USB-A (keyboard) · 3.5 mm audio out (speakers or headphones) · USB-C power
On the box	OLED status display · backlit ASSIST and SUSTAIN buttons
Dashboard	Served by the box to any phone, tablet, or computer on your wifi — nothing to install
Sounds	9 instruments, including 4 original synth voices — all license-free
Lessons	35 graded lessons · chord trainer · live coach · session recordings
Privacy	Fully offline operation · no account · no microphone · your data stays on the box
Size	Approx. 10 × 7 × 2.8 cm · desk-friendly · powered by any USB-C supply
Updates	Free software updates for life

07 — The honest comparison

What $129 buys, once.

	Rise Keys RK-1	Piano app	Weekly lessons
Cost	$129 once	$60–180 every year	$150–400 every month
Helps while you play	Yes — fixes notes live	No — scores you after	Once a week
Sounds good on day one	Yes	No	No
Adapts to your level	Continuously	Fixed course order	Yes
Needs internet	No	Usually	—
Screen required to practice	No	Always	No
Proof of progress	Logged every session	Streaks and badges	Teacher's opinion

A great human teacher is irreplaceable — Rise Keys makes the other six days of the week count.

08 — Questions

Fair questions, straight answers.

Won't I just become dependent on it?

The opposite, by design. Assist strength falls automatically as your accuracy rises, the lessons and chord trainer pause correction entirely so grades are honest, and the progress chart shows assistance declining over weeks. The product's goal is to need itself less. You can also switch assist off with a physical button any time.

Does it work with my keyboard?

If it has USB MIDI (nearly every keyboard made in the last 15 years, from a $40 mini controller to a full digital piano), yes — plug it into the KEYBOARD port and play. No drivers, no setup.

Do I need the internet or an account?

No. Everything — the model, the sounds, the lessons, your recordings — lives on the box. Wifi is only used to show the dashboard on your phone, and only on your own network.

What if I already play reasonably well?

The box classifies you as "solid" within seconds and gets out of the way: near-zero correction, smoother chord voicings, and the full practice toolkit — metronome, drills with timing scores, trouble-key mapping, session recordings.

Is there really no subscription?

Really. $129 buys the device, all 35 lessons, all 9 sounds, and free software updates for life. We sell a box, not a membership.

When do I pay, and when does it ship?

You pay at checkout — this is a pre-order at the $129 early adopter price. Your RK-1 ships in an estimated 4–6 weeks from your order, with a confirmation email immediately and tracking the day it ships. Change your mind before it ships? Cancel for a full refund, no questions asked.

What's the return policy?

30 days from delivery, full refund. If the unit is faulty, that's on us — replacement or refund and we pay the shipping. If you simply changed your mind, return it complete and working and you cover the return postage. Full details on the policies page.

What's in the box?

The RK-1, a USB-C power supply, and a quick-start card that says: plug in your keyboard, plug in your speakers, play.

Early adopter pre-order

RK-1 — $129

This is a pre-order: you check out securely, get a confirmation email immediately, and your RK-1 ships in an estimated 4–6 weeks — with tracking the day it leaves. Cancel any time before it ships for a full refund. The price goes up at retail launch.

Pre-order — $129

Pre-order — ships in an estimated 4–6 weeks
Confirmation email at checkout, tracking when it ships
Cancel any time before shipping for a full refund
30-day returns — simple, honest policy
Works with any USB MIDI keyboard
Audio out to speakers or headphones
Dashboard on any phone or browser — nothing to install
Free software updates, forever