Free Piano Lessons
This free piano course has been written by Graham Howard, the piano advisor for ukpianos.co.uk.
If you want help buying a digital piano then send an email to: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
These lessons are completely free and there is enough information to learn the very basics of playing the piano. For more advanced piano lessons, check out The Rocket Piano Method
“Bad Habits Hinder Your Progress – Start With The Correct Techniques”
* * How the piano works **
You don’t need to know how a piano works in able
to get started. But it is good to know your instrument
and you will value the following information as
your playing advances.
If you find this bit boring, then skip to the next section
where you can dive straight in to learning finger numbers,
hand positions and postures.
* * How is the piano sound produced? **
The hammer strikes the string causing it to vibrate
and falls back onto the backcheck. The harder you
hit the key, the more force the hammer strikes the
string and thus affecting the volume.
The Bridge
Another part is called the bridge which is connected
to the soundboard.
When the piano string vibrates, it transmits these vibrations
through the bridge to the soundboard and the soundboard
amplifies the sound.
The Soundboard
The soundboard is made from a type of wood called
spruce. This wood is very flexible and covers the width
of the piano and about three quarters of the height.
Although you can only see the front half of the key,
you will be amazed to hear that behind-the-scenes,
there are over 5,000 parts and 35 interlinked
actions that take place.
* * Sitting at the piano * *
When you’re sitting at the piano you need to have
the correct posture. Without this correct posture, you
might experience pain in the back or stressful joints.
You must keep your back straight and your head up
– this is very important. Never strain to look at the
music, you should position your music book so it
is easy to read.
You also need to keep your arms and shoulders
loose and relaxed. Your arms and thighs should
be at 90 degrees to the floor.
If you do not already have an adjustable piano
bench, you should go and buy one now. Without
it, it is impossible to achieve the correct positions
mentioned above – – Very Important! – –
Your right foot should be in a forward position
close to the pedals. Your left foot should rest
between the pedals and your piano bench.
Make sure your feet are relaxed.
You need to have the piano bench far enough away
that you do not have to stretch or lean forward to play
the keys, and not too close that your body gets in
the way or restricts the movement of your elbows.
You should sit on the front half of the piano bench
as a general rule…
* * Learn correct hand positions and
finger numbers * *
Achieving the correct hand position
is essential when learning the piano. When playing
you should keep your hands relaxed and the fingers
should be rounded slightly so your fingertips rest
gently on the keys.
Your wrists shouldn’t be rigid either. Try to resist
lifting your fingers high as you play, this decreases
speed and creates tension.
* * Finger Numbers * *
Place your hands flat on the table.
– – Your Left Hand – –
Your little finger is called finger 5, your next finger
is 4, then 3, then 2 and finally your thumb is finger 1.
– – Your Right Hand – –
Your thumb is finger 1, your next finger is 2, then 3,
then 4 and finally your little finger is finger 5.
In the next piano lesson, you will learn the notes
of the piano, the names of the piano keys and the
music alphabet. You will also get the answer to
two of the most common questions I get…
Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
P.S. If you think you’re ready to jump to a complete piano
course that teaches you ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING you need to
know about piano techniques, chords, rhythm, reading music,
playing by ear, etc. I recommend the Rocket Piano course
written by Ruth Searle.
—
Free Piano Lesson 2
“Learning the Notes on the Piano”
Learning the notes on the piano is not as difficult
as you think. The following piano lesson will teach
the music alphabet and which keys on the piano are
related to which letter.
* * Does age matter when learning piano? * *
Did you know that two of the most common questions
I get are “am I too old to learn the piano?” and
“what age is best to start learning the piano?”
It is true that learning piano at a young age is an
advantage. Children pick up most things a lot
quicker than adults because their brain is much
younger and can absorb information much quicker.
But when it comes down to learning the piano, you
can learn at any age – there really is no limit. It is down
to you and how much practice you put in. If you practice
regularly using the correct techniques and the right
information, you will experience amazing improvement.
Knowing this secret puts a different perspective on
practicing doesn’t it?
Do you think that you can find time to practice for
at least 20 minutes per day? Do this for a few weeks
and you will be way ahead of the game…
* * Learn piano keys and the music alphabet * *
You probably already know that a piano consists of
white keys and black keys. But did you know that
most modern pianos have 88 keys and most of the
older pianos have 85 keys?
The reason for this is that some modern piano music
uses the last three notes on the piano, so it was
decided to make this as standard on all new pianos.
* * You need to know the music alphabet * *
The music alphabet contains only seven letters:
A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
– – How to Locate Middle C – –
Once you know where Middle C is on the piano, it is
like discovering where you are on the map. You will
find learning the names of the keys easy once you can
identify where middle C is…
Middle C has three black notes to the left and two
black notes to the right. It is located near the centre
of the keyboard and is usually directly underneath
the piano’s name.
Are you confident you can find middle C?
Now you must go and practice finding middle C.
Walk in and out of the room until you can pick out
middle C five times in a row.
Now you know where middle C is, it is easy to
identify the names of the notes above (to the right)
and below (to the left).
From middle C, the notes to the right are D, E, F and G.
After G comes A, then B and the sequence repeats itself
all the way to the top.
From middle C going down (to the left), the notes are:
B, A, G, F, E, D, C etc.
In Piano lesson 3, you will learn how to train your ear – this is extremely
useful to know, your first step towards learning rhythm,
and the answer to the myth about scales and arpeggios.
When you master the simple exercise in the next
piano lesson about training your ear, you will be well on your
way to playing any song you hear.
Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
—
Free Piano Lesson 3
“Learn to Read Music”
Two of the most important things to learn in your quest
to read music are rhythm and ear training. In this piano lesson,
you will learn the value of notes and a useful exercise
to improve your musical ear.
* * Your very first step towards learning rhythm * *
You need to understand how rhythm works before you
can read music. To understand rhythm you need to know
the length of a note.
The shape of the note tells you how long the note should
be played for. Each shape has a specific name and corresponds
to a value measured in counts. The shape of the note does not
tell you the pitch, only the length of the note…
The standard note is called a quarter note. This is a small
filled in oval shape with a straight stem. This note lasts
for one count.
The next note we are going to look at is the half note.
This is twice the length of the quarter note and lasts
for two counts. This is the same shape as the quarter
note but the oval shape is not filled in
The whole note is four beats and it last for four counts.
It is equal to two half notes or four quarter notes. This
note is the same shape as the half note, but without the stem.
Check out this website for a good diagram of the music notes.
* * Train your ear * *
The more you play, the more your ear will become
accustomed to hearing music.
These short piano lessons only cover the very basics
of learning piano (they are free). A complete course
will teach you how to play scales and arpeggios,
minors, chord sequences, inversions, block and broken
chords, triads, chromatic scales, intervals and more.
Don’t get confused about all this. It sounds complicated,
but if you study it step-by-step, it really is easy to learn.
By studying and practicing all of the above, your ear will
be trained to understand and distinguish musical notes.
A simple way to train your ear is for someone to sit at
the piano and play any note. You will try to sing the
exact note that is being played. When you get this
right, and note of a different pitch should be played
and you will try to sing this one as well.
When you become accomplished at this task, you
will then try and name the note that is being played.
* * Do you need to learn scales and arpeggios? * *
If you can master scales and arpeggios, you will find
it much easier to sight read. The reason for this is that
melodies, especially fast technical passages, are made
up of some kind of scale or arpeggio.
If you know your scales and arpeggios, you will recognize
the patterns and play the notes almost instinctively.
Similarly, recognizing intervals can help to make
sense out of notes that otherwise might appear to
be lots of individual notes lumped together.
You don’t need to learn scales and arpeggios right away.
This comes at a later stage in the learning process.
Are you raring to get playing? In the next piano lesson
“Get Started on the Road to Playing Popular Songs”, you
will learn all about the foundations of music – chords.
Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
—
Free Piano Lesson 4
“Get Started on the Road to Playing Popular Songs”
The secret way to learn how to play popular songs is to
master chords.
* * How to recognize chords * *
You might have noticed that many piano methods,
especially online piano methods start you off learning
chords straight away. I don’t believe this is the
correct way to learn the piano.
You should learn the value of notes, rhythm, musical
terms, posture, and everything else that has been
previously talked about well before approaching chords.
* *What is a chord? * *
A chord is when you play two or more notes together.
Chords are numbered in Roman numerals. To truly
understand chords you must learn what the triad is.
You probably know that triad comes from the word
tri, meaning three. So the triad is a chord with three
notes. The three notes that make up the triad are the
fifth, the third, and the root note.
The triad can start on any note in the scale.
* * Chord Progression * *
When you get a series of chords in a row, it is called a
chord progression. The root, the third, and the fifth are
common chord progressions.
* * Learn the chord system and play along to any
song or compose your own music * *
When you learn the chord system you will recognize
which chord fits in with which melody.
All composers are masters of the chord system.
If they hear a melody, they already know which
chord fits that particular phrase.
It is very satisfying to write your own music. Learning
how chords work makes composing much simpler.
When you have trained your ear, you will be able to
sit down at any piano and play a single note in the
right-hand and already know which chord to play
in the left-hand. If you get it wrong, your trained
ear will hear that it doesn’t sound quite right.
Try starting a chord on a different note, and keep
trying until it sounds right. If you can understand
this at such an early stage, you are halfway to
understanding how chords work.
You will probably find that getting chords to work
takes a lot of hard work, but it is worth it.
* * You’re an asset to any band when you know
how to play chords * *
– – If you can master chords, the world is your oyster – –
Bands are always looking for piano players that
understand chords, especially pop, rock and jazz bands.
Most of this type of music is based around chords
and chord progressions.
Good piano courses will teach you a complete chord
system and music theory which will help you
understand how chords work.
So if you want to play for a band, then the more time
you devote to learning chords the better.
Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
—
Free Piano Lesson 5
“Achieve Rapid Improvement – How to Get Your Hand Positions and Fingering Right”
Learn the correct hand positions
Fast track your progress by using the correct fingers
The Black Notes
The White Notes
Should you look at your hands when playing?
How to care for your hands
What stretching exercises should you be doing?
You need to study piano lesson 5 very carefully. Learning
the correct hand positions and fingering will set you
in good stead for the rest of your life.
These are probably THE most important techniques
you can master. When you have developed these to the
extent they become second nature, you will be able
to sight read virtually any piece of music.
** Learn the correct hand positions * *
The first hand position you need to learn is middle C.
Place the thumb of your right hand and the thumb
of your left hand on middle C (both thumbs
should be on the same note).
– – With your right hand – –
Play up the keyboard (to the right) using each finger.
C (finger 1 or thumb), D (finger 2), E (finger 3),
F (finger 4), G (finger 5). Now play back down
again to middle C.
– – With your left hand – –
Play down the keyboard (to the left) using each
finger C (finger 1 or thumb), B (finger 2),
A (finger 3), G (finger 4), F (finger 5).
Now play up again to middle C…
Now repeat the above exercise using both hands together.
The next hand position you need to learn is D (one note
to the right of middle C).
Repeat the previous exercise
Then do the same starting on E, then F, then G, then A,
then B, then finally C (8 notes above middle C).
Now you know the basic hand positions.
* * Fast track your progress by using the correct fingers * *
Find middle C on your piano.
– – The Black Notes – –
Just above middle C there is a group of 2 black keys.
Place fingers 2 and 3 of your right hand on to the
black keys.
Play them one after the other: Finger 2, finger 3,
finger 2, finger 3, etc.
To the right of these black keys you will see a
group of three black keys.
Place fingers 2, 3, and 4 of your right hand on
to these black keys.
Play them one after the other: Finger 2, finger 3,
finger 4, finger 2, finger 3, finger 4, etc.
Stay with me…
If you are struggling here, just keep going back
and repeating the exercise very slowly.
Just below middle C there is a group of 3
black keys.
Place fingers 4, 3 and 2 of your left hand on to
the black keys.
Play them one after the other: Finger 4, finger 3,
finger 2, finger 4, finger 3, finger 2, etc.
To the left of these black keys you will see a
group of two black keys.
Place fingers 4 and 3 of your left hand on to the
black keys.
Play them one after the other: Finger 4, finger 3,
finger 4, finger 3, etc.
Practice these exercises every day until your
fingers get used to it.
– – The White Notes – –
If you are using the right hand, you should start a
run of white notes with the thumb (finger 1).
With the left hand you should start with the
little finger (finger 5).
* * Should you look at your hands when playing? * *
When you start out, you need to look at both
the music and your hands. As you get more
proficient at playing you will begin to feel
where the notes on the keyboard are and your
fingers will automatically go to the right place.
It is much like learning how to type. Have you
ever seen a proficient typist looking at the keys
of their typewriter? All this takes practice though.
When you have developed a sense of where the keys
are in relation to the music without having to glance
down, you should be focused on the music as much
as possible…
You might want to look down at the keys for difficult
position changes or for technical reasons (sorting out
wrong notes and difficult fingering etc.)
* * How to care for your hands * *
Playing the piano should never be a strain.
If you are experiencing any pain, strain or stress,
you should check the position of your hands
and your posture.
If you are playing the piano frequently you need to
take more care of your hands. It is a good idea for
you to take regular breaks, say for example every
hour you should take at least 10 to 15 minute breaks.
Gentle stretching will keep your hands supple and
flexible and hopefully avoid aches and pains.
* * What stretching exercises should you be doing? * *
The neck and shoulders are the two most important
areas to stretch before playing. These usually hold
the most tension.
You should begin by rotating the neck from side to
side, with the head resting on the shoulders. Make sure
you stretch slowly. Rotating the shoulders forwards and
backwards can help loosen your joints.
There are stretching exercises you can do for the wrist
and hand. For advanced players they can be moderately
useful, but at this stage it really isn’t worth spending
your time.
In order to function properly at the piano, your
fingers need to be flexible and agile.
Stretching your fingers is something that should be
done when you are practicing for more than one hour
per day. You must never stretch your fingers too far.
Always be very careful with your fingers.
I hope you found these piano lessons helpful.
This is the time to feel proud of yourself. You have
completed the 5 piano lessons!
Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
All contents of this free piano lesson course are © 2007-2021 Graham Howard
Comments
Hi Graham
Thanks for your tutorials. I was looking for ideas as I had been asked to teach my granddaughter.
She is only 6 so I wanted a less formal method than the one I had received all those years ago.
The lessons you give are all useful, and it is an interesting idea to send them at intervals.
In my case, I needed a little tune that would let my granddaughter know straight away that
she was achieving something, so perhaps something like that would be good for the first lesson?
I did find some on the internet that used just C-G without moving the hand.
Particularly useful is the idea of the simple scale as I can see an improvement in finger control
and strength already. She likes both hands together – she is left handed and the tunes have all
been right hand ones!
Thanks again
Diane
—
thank you so much,
I am 60 yrs old and bought myself a Yamaha great keyboard
(like teaching old dogs new tricks)
so I really appreciate your step by step lessons
practising 30 mins a day in two stages (15min bites)
thank you once again, you are very user friendly, I like that
all the best
Jean
—
Dear Graham Howard,
“Many thanks for your article ‘digital pianos – which brand should I buy?’. It was really useful to get an insight of the quality and prices of different brands of digital pianos.”
Rami Al Ashi
—
“I’d just like to say thank you for the E-mails you’ve been sending me. Some of them were really helpful and informative.”
Many Thanks, Gaz