88 Lessons Is Now on YouTube — Watch Lesson 1 Free

The 88 Lessons podcast curriculum is now on YouTube.

If you’ve been searching for a structured way to learn how to tune a piano by ear — something more than a one-off tutorial, something that actually builds your ear from scratch — this channel is for you.

Every episode of the 88-lesson series is being published as a full-length audiogram video, in sequence, so you can follow the complete 90-day curriculum on YouTube alongside the podcast.

Subscribe to the 88 Lessons YouTube channel →

What’s in Lesson 1

Episode 1: What Is Aural Piano Tuning?

Hosted by Eathan Janney — PhD in Neuroscience, professional piano technician, and founder of Piano Technician Masterclasses.

This first lesson answers the question every beginner asks before anything else: what am I actually listening for?

In approximately 15 minutes, Lesson 1 covers:

What aural piano tuning is — the physics-based method for setting a piano to equal temperament using only your ear as a guide
Beats and beat rates — the audible pulsing produced when two slightly mis-tuned strings interact, and why that sound is the entire foundation of the skill
Why this is learnable — the neuroscience of auditory perceptual development, and why your brain can genuinely be trained to hear what it currently can’t
The 88 Lessons learning progression — what you’ll be able to do by Day 10, Day 40, and Day 88
Your first ear training exercise — the Stillness Drill, which you can do right now with no equipment at all

You don’t need a piano. You don’t need any background in music. This episode is designed as a starting point for complete beginners.

Why YouTube?

The 88 Lessons curriculum is, at its core, a podcast — an audio-first experience designed to be consumed while you’re at the piano, doing the exercises, training your ear.

But YouTube serves a different purpose in the learning journey.

Many people discover a topic through YouTube search before they commit to following a podcast series. Searching “how to tune a piano by ear” or “piano tuning for beginners” on YouTube is often the first step someone takes when they get curious about this skill. We want to meet those people where they are.

The YouTube channel gives you:

A visual home for the series — a place to see the full sequence laid out, subscribe, and track your progress
A way to share individual lessons — the podcast is great for following along; YouTube makes it easier to send someone a single episode
Closed captions — every video on the channel is captioned, making the content accessible to a wider audience
A companion to the podcast — watch the episode first on YouTube, then come back to listen during your practice sessions

The Full 90-Day Curriculum

The 88 Lessons YouTube channel will publish all 88 episodes in sequence. Here’s what the curriculum progression looks like:

Lessons 1–10: Perceptual Foundation
Before you touch a piano, you develop the auditory awareness that everything else depends on. By Lesson 10, you’ll be hearing beats for the first time — the fundamental sound of tuning.

Lessons 11–25: Beat Rates and Intervals
You’ll learn to distinguish between different intervals by the speed and character of their beating. Fifths, fourths, thirds, sixths — each has its own signature, and you’ll learn to hear all of them.

Lessons 26–45: Temperament Setting
This is where theoretical understanding becomes practical skill. You’ll learn the sequence for building a complete equal temperament from a single reference pitch — the core technique of professional aural tuning.

Lessons 46–65: Extension and Unisons
With a solid temperament established in the middle of the piano, you’ll learn to extend it through the treble and bass, and to tune unisons — the most precise listening skill in the entire craft.

Lessons 66–88: Integration and Mastery
Speed, consistency, troubleshooting, and professional-grade technique. By Lesson 88, you’ll have a working ear and a complete method.

How to Follow the Series

The most effective way to use 88 Lessons is in sequence, one episode per day. Each lesson is short enough to listen to in a single sitting — and each one builds directly on what came before.

Three ways to follow:

YouTube — Subscribe to @88Lessons and watch each episode as it posts
Podcast — Search “88 Lessons” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred app
Email — Subscribe below to get each new episode delivered to your inbox

For the deepest learning experience, we recommend listening to each episode at the piano, doing the exercises as you go, and then revisiting the show notes here on the site for the written summary and key concepts.

Premium Membership

The free podcast and YouTube series give you the conceptual foundation — the theory, the philosophy, the listening framework.

The premium membership is where the real skill development happens. Premium members get:

Extended 30–45 minute deep-dive versions of every episode
Downloadable worksheets and practice guides
Narrated ear training audio drills (with reference tones to practice against)
Quizzes to test comprehension and ear development
Full transcripts
Access to the 88 Lessons community

If you’re serious about actually learning to tune — not just learning about tuning — the premium track is what gets you there.

→ Join the Premium Waitlist

Start Right Here: Lesson 1 Show Notes

Before you head to YouTube, you might want to read the full show notes for Episode 1 — including the complete episode summary, key concepts glossary, and detailed instructions for the Stillness Drill.

→ Read the Episode 1 Show Notes

88 Lessons is hosted by Eathan Janney — PhD in Neuroscience, professional piano technician, and founder of Piano Technician Masterclasses. New episodes drop daily. The complete 88-lesson curriculum takes beginners from zero to fully competent aural piano tuners over 90 days.

Find us on YouTube at @88Lessons