Félix Le Couppey in Rangsit: how Tonkla learns from the Paris teacher's L'Alphabet studies, and checks each piece for a pickup before his AI piano lessons

Tonkla is nine and lives in Rangsit with his parents, who run a small mobile phone repair shop. He is quick with his hands and likes taking apart old gadgets, but sitting still for a long time is hard for him. His mother noticed he would happily tap rhythms on the counter for hours, so last year she decided to let him try piano.

At first Tonkla wanted only to play songs from cartoons. His piano app gave him some, but it also gave him short studies from the nineteenth century, which he complained about. One was called simply Study No. 3, from a book named L'Alphabet. The composer was Félix Le Couppey, a French teacher who was new to him.

Le Couppey was born in Paris in 1811 and studied at the Paris Conservatoire, then one of the most important music schools in Europe. He became a teacher there and taught piano to many students over several decades, including in the classes for young women, who studied separately in those days. He died in 1887.

He was known less as a concert star and more as a thoughtful teacher. He wrote many books of pieces for young beginners, and in 1865 he published a book about how piano should be taught. His idea was that children learn best from brief pieces that each focus on one clear skill, without too many problems at the same time.

L'Alphabet, his Op. 17, follows exactly that idea. It contains 25 very easy studies, and the title suggests the first letters of piano playing. One practises smooth legato, another short detached notes, another an easy accompaniment pattern under a tune. Each takes only a minute or two to play, which suits a restless nine-year-old perfectly.

Tonkla's complaint did not last long. The first studies were so short that he could finish one in a single session, and the melodies were more cheerful than he expected. He began treating each one like a level in a game, and his mother noticed he started asking for the next study instead of more cartoon songs.

His piano lessons happen with TIGA ALPHA, an online piano learning app, using a keyboard set up in the back room of the repair shop. The AI piano teacher listens to every note and gives him stars for accuracy and rhythm. When he speeds up, it gently shows the beat slowing back down on the screen, and he has slowly learned to trust it.

Some Le Couppey studies begin with a few notes before the first full bar, which confused him at first. Tonkla runs a finger under the first bar on the screen before he begins, checking whether it is an upbeat bar, short and incomplete, so he knows the first note is not beat one. Then he counts the missing beats aloud in a whisper.

That small routine made a big difference. His first attempts at those studies always sounded lopsided, because he treated the opening note as the strongest one. Now the app gives him more stars, and he says the music sounds like it is walking instead of tripping.

His piano course mixes these classic studies with modern pieces and games. Le Couppey's ideas fit well with this approach: one skill at a time, a compact study, and quick feedback. Tonkla's mother says it is the first activity he has stuck with for more than a few weeks.

Short studies with a single purpose

Why do old studies like these still matter to children who want to learn piano today? Partly because they were designed by an experienced teacher who watched children struggle with the same problems they face now. Uneven fingers, rushing and confusion about where the beat falls are not new. Le Couppey met them in Paris more than a century and a half ago.

At school, Tonkla's music lessons are mostly singing, but his teacher let him play one of the studies on the classroom keyboard. His classmates were surprised that he could play piano at all, and two of them asked how he learned. He showed them the app on his mother's phone during break time.

His father has started timing him with a stopwatch from the repair counter, which makes him giggle. Each study must be played without stopping before he can move on, because, as his father says, you only really play music when you can keep going after a slip, and his record so far is three new studies in one week.

Tonkla's next target is the last study in the book. He knows it will be the hardest, but he also knows that a French teacher planned every step to get him there, letter by letter, and that thought makes it seem possible.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Who was Félix Le Couppey? A: Félix Le Couppey (1811–1887) was a French pianist and teacher who taught at the Paris Conservatoire for many years. He wrote many educational works for beginners and a book on piano teaching.

Q: What is Le Couppey's L'Alphabet? A: L'Alphabet, Op. 17, is a set of 25 very easy studies for young pianists. Each short piece focuses on one simple skill, such as even notes, smooth playing or a gentle accompaniment.

Q: Are Le Couppey's studies still used today? A: Yes. Several of them appear in beginner collections and teaching anthologies because they are short, melodic and focused.

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