He ____ the piano now but he normally plays the banjo.

Correct answer: Is Playing

Explanation

• Use the present continuous for actions happening now: subject + is/am/are + verb-ing. Example: "He is playing the piano now."

• The word "now" indicates the action is occurring at this moment, so the present continuous is appropriate.

• Why the other choices are incorrect:

• "Play" is the base form and needs an auxiliary to form the present continuous, so "He play the piano now" is ungrammatical.

• "Played" is past tense and describes a completed action, which conflicts with the time expression "now."

• "Playing" is the present participle but cannot function alone as the main verb without an auxiliary (for example, "is"). It can be used as a gerund in other contexts (e.g., "Playing the piano is fun").

• Note the contrast in the sentence: the first clause uses present continuous for a current action, while the second clause "he normally plays the banjo" uses simple present to describe a habitual action.