Our VP GuideBook!

Before we start off, I want to establish a simple rule for hand placements. If you look down on your keyboard, look after the [ 6 y h n ] keys. That is a line from now on. No hands should pass that line. Left pinkie should most of the time be on the shift but can be used to play the Z to M notes, and your thumb shouldn't be used to play notes. With this in mind, my tutorial can now begin!

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[In-Depth Tutorial]]

t u o s = Play each note after a short pause.
tuos = Play note after note.
[tuos] = Play these notes at the same time. If you can't play them at the same time, then play the notes very fast as if they're played together.
{tuos} = Play these notes fast.
<tuos> = Play these notes very fast (almost if they were played at the same time).

Whole Note = t -- u -- o -- s
Half Note = t - u - o - s
Quarter Note = t-u-o-s
Eighth Note = t u o s
Sixteenth Note = tuos
Thirty Second Note = {tuos}
Sixty Fourth Note = <tuos>

: = Line continue/Represents the next note being played
:: = Line continue/Represents the next note being played immediately afterwards (Sixteenth Notes)
::: = Line continue/Represents a Thirty-Second Note being played afterwards.
:::: = Line continue/Represents a Sixty-Fourth Note being played afterwards.

(E.g)
1 8 0 w t u    = play at normal pace
[180u]           = play at the same time
180wtu         = play fast
<180wtu>     = play very fast

pauses
o u-y[80t]        = half beat pause
[qe] - [80w]     = 1 beat pause
w y -- [8tu]     = 2 beat pause
[y --- [8to]       = 4 beat pause

[80w] | 1        = long pause (wait for reverb to die or something)
[80w] || 1      = extreme pause (above + more waiting)

1 5 8 0 w :      = no pause going to
t u o s d f          the next line
1580w ::         = last note was an eighth note,
tuosdf               go to the next line faster
<1580w :::       = <arpeggio> continues on the
tuosdf>              next line (very rare)

t u o s :
t u o s ::
tuos:::
{tuos} :
t u o s

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[[Sheet structure]]
A chord must be written from "1-m", or left to right of the Keyboard.

[12345] [qwerty] [asdf] [zxcv]
[180] [5wyo] [ipsgl] [fhlx] [djz] [lxvm]

Capital letters of a chord usually begin before the lowercase letters
But depending on the harmony of the song, sometimes you may require
to add a Capital letter at the end of the chord.

Playing these chords will sound different on the VP depending on wherever the Capital letters are placed, even with the same notes within the chords.

[!u] [u!]
[^Psg] [sgP^]
[yoP] [Poy]
[uT] [Tu]
[S6epf] [6epfS]

It depends on how the songs are played.
If a chord doesn't necessarily match up, or isn't as close to matching up with the melody or harmony of the song, then changing the positions of the Upper-Case letters must be considered whether to play first, or after the Lower-Case letters in a chord.

[S6epf] or [6epfS]

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[[Using the Shift-Key]]

You may see notes like:

fDfDfDfads - [9pSf] - [^j] T o -
y [uT] [tI] [ro] [tp] [PT] [ya][ya][ya] [wua][wai]

When beginners see notes that require you to use the "Shift" key, they immediately get stumped and for good reason as well.
In truth, the Virtual Piano can't play black keys and white keys at the same time.
The only thing we can do to make the Shift key letters and lowercase letters play together, is by making it seem like we played them together.

For example:
To play [9pSf], imagine playing each of these letters individually, but very fast.
You should picture: 9 p S f
Try playing the note above without any bracket individually and practice playing it fast.
Once you felt like you played them fast, try playing these notes below, but at a slow pace:

y [uT] [tI] [ro] [tp] [PT] [ya][ya][ya] [wua][wai]

Because of the "Shift" key, some music sheets may show something like
[S9pf] [9pfS] [pdGL]
Notice how the capital letters are shown from either the beginning or at the end of the lowercase letters.
The reason for this is because as you continue playing the Virtual Piano- 
hitting the "Shift" key at either the beginning [S9pf] or at the end after the lowercase notes [9pfS]-
can sometimes become a lot easier dealing with all capital letters within a note
``
Otherwise, you may play something like this [*uS] as opposed to doing this [u*S]
``
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Arpeggios to practice at in order to learn finger movement and speed. I really recommend you to practice these until you've mastered them. If you are able to play these with ease, you are basically ready for anything.
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1 3 5 8 0 w t u o s f h l x v m

1 @ 5 8 ( w t Y o s D h l Z v m

1 @ % 8 ( W t Y O s D H l Z V m

1 4 % 8 q W t i O s g H l c V m

1 4 ^ 8 q E t i P s g J l c B m

1 3 6 8 0 e t u p s f j l x b m

! 3 6 * 0 e T u p S f j L x b

1 4 6 8 q e t i p s g j l c b m

4 ^ * q E T i P S g J L c B

! $ 6 * Q e T I p S G j L C b

2 4 6 9 q e y i p d g j z c b

2 $ 6 9 Q e y I p d G j z C b

2 5 7 9 w r y o a d h k z v n

2 $ 7 9 Q r y I a d G k z C n

3 5 7 0 w r u o a f h k x v n

3 % 7 0 W r u O a f H k x V n

! $ ^ * Q E T I P S G J L C B

@ $ ^ ( Q E Y I P D G J Z C B

! 4 % * q W T i O S g H L c V

! 3 % * 0 W T u O S f H L x V

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The important thing to remember here is repetition and practice.
Once you get used to playing notes that require your "Shift" key, you'll be able to play almost everything in here. Practice is key!
**If you have any questions, feel free to write to me and I'll answer:)**

Play and enjoy!