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How to play piano: your first lesson
Seven short steps, from finding middle C to your first song and your first chords. Every step has a keyboard that waits for you: tap it, use your computer keyboard, or plug in a digital piano.
No piano? Tap the keys on screen, or use your computer keyboard: A S D F G H J K are the white keys from middle C.
1Find middle C
The black keys come in groups of two and three, all the way up the piano. They're your map. Every C is the white key just to the left of a group of two. The C nearest the middle of the piano is middle C: it's where most beginner music starts.
2Name the white keys
The white keys are named with seven letters, A to G, over and over. Starting from C: C D E F G A B, then C again. Use the black keys to find each one: D sits between the two, F just left of the three.
Find C
3Your fingers have numbers
Piano music numbers your fingers: thumbs are 1, little fingers are 5, on both hands. So "finger 3" is always your middle finger.
How to sit: on the front half of the bench, at a height where your forearms are level with the keys. Let your hands curve, as if holding a ball, and play with the tips of your fingers. Thumbs play on their side.
4C position
Put your right thumb (1) on middle C, and one finger on each white key: 2 on D, 3 on E, 4 on F, 5 on G. This is C position, and a huge number of first songs fit in it without moving your hand.
5Your first song
Mary Had a Little Lamb uses only C, D, E and G, all in C position. Follow the lit keys; the letters show the whole tune.
Next, play it along with the music, at your own speed: Mary Had a Little Lamb with Wait for me. Then try Hot Cross Buns and Ode to Joy.
6The left hand
Your left hand has its own C position, an octave lower: little finger (5) on the C below middle C, thumb (1) on G. Same notes, fingers the other way round.
7Your first chords
A chord is several notes at once. C major is C, E and G: fingers 1, 3 and 5 in C position. Move two fingers and you get F major (C, F, A) and G major (B, D, G). C, F and G are the three chords of a huge number of songs: the three-chord trick.
That's your first lesson.
What to practise next
- Every day, 15 minutes. Short and often beats long and rare.
- Songs in C position, right hand then left: easy piano songs, with Wait for me.
- Learn to read music, a little at a time: how to read music, with a note quiz.
- Keep a steady beat with the metronome, and learn the note values.
- Your first scale: C major, then its chords.
- Hands together: start with the left hand holding one note while the right plays a tune. Slowly.
This page only knows which key you pressed. At a real piano, what matters is everything else: whether your hands land together, a note that's always late, a rhythm that runs away. Ivory listens to you play, on any piano, and tells you the one thing to fix next, then shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
Can I teach myself piano?
Yes: many adults do, with books, apps and videos. What a teacher adds is someone listening and telling you what to fix; that's the part to find another way to get, whether it's recording yourself, an app that listens, or the occasional lesson.
How long does it take to learn piano?
Most adults can play simple songs with both hands within two or three months of short, regular practice (15 to 20 minutes most days). Intermediate pieces like Für Elise take a year or two.
Do I need a real piano to start?
A digital piano or keyboard with 61 or more full-size keys is enough; 88 weighted keys is ideal. You can start learning the keys and notes on this page with no instrument at all.
What should I learn first on piano?
Where the notes are (middle C and the letters), your finger numbers, C position, a simple tune in one hand, then the other hand, then the C, F and G chords. That's this lesson, in order.
Is it too late to learn piano as an adult?
No. Adults learn faster than children in the first months, because they understand what they're doing. The only real difference is time to practise.