# The Jumper game

A runner, a row of obstacles and a metronome. Play the chord in time and the runner jumps over the next obstacle.

## Chords on the beat

Knowing a chord and playing it *on the beat* are separate skills. The ordinary drill screen does not check the second one: if you take four seconds to find the notes, it still counts the chord as correct.

In Jumper the obstacles arrive on the beat, and the runner clears one only when you play the right chord in time. If you are late, the runner walks into it.

![The jumper canvas: a round runner on a line, the chord name above it, two obstacles approaching and small jump cues.](https://pianokitty.com/features/en/jumper/panel.webp)

## Press M, then play

The game runs on the metronome: starting the click starts the run, and stopping it stops the runner. It uses the tempo and meter you have already set, so the obstacles arrive on the same click you normally practice to.

`J` switches between Jumper and ordinary practice. The chord pool, keys and inversions stay as they were; the difference is that each chord now has to arrive on time.

![The whole practice screen in jumper mode: the game canvas above, the answer balls and keyboard below.](https://pianokitty.com/features/en/jumper/game.webp)

## How hard you want it

- **Beats per obstacle** — the gap between obstacles. Four beats give you a bar to prepare; one is a sprint.
- **Obstacle height** — how precise your timing has to be.
- **Jump cues** — the small marks that warn you an obstacle is coming. With them off, you have only the beat to go by.
- **Failure counts as** — a miss only, a broken streak, or game over, depending on how much you want a stumble to cost.

![The jumper settings: jump cues, obstacle height, beats per obstacle, and what a failure counts as.](https://pianokitty.com/features/en/jumper/settings.webp)

> Jumper makes a good warm-up: after five minutes at a slow tempo, the ordinary drill feels unhurried.

## Have a run

- Try it: [Jumper, gently](https://pianokitty.com/app?activity=jumper&subject=chords&ct=0,1&bn=0,5,7&inv=0&tempo=90): Major and minor triads at 90 BPM. Press M to start.
- Try it: [Jumper with sevenths](https://pianokitty.com/app?activity=jumper&subject=chords&ct=6,7,8&bn=0,2,5,7,9&inv=0&tempo=80): Four notes to find, on the beat.
- Try it: [Single notes, fast](https://pianokitty.com/app?activity=jumper&subject=scales&key=C&mode=major&voicing=singleNotes&seq=inOrder&tempo=110): One note per obstacle, so you can concentrate on the rhythm.
- Try it: [The click on its own](https://pianokitty.com/app?subject=chords&ct=0,1&bn=0,5,7&inv=0&tempo=90): Ordinary practice with the metronome, before adding obstacles.

Related: [Practice that plays like a game](https://pianokitty.com/features/gamification.md), [The metronome, and the ladder](https://pianokitty.com/features/tempo.md), [Piano chord games: flashcards, ear training, rhythm](https://pianokitty.com/features/games.md)

Source: https://pianokitty.com/features/jumper