Interpret time signatures: 4/4, 2/4, and compound time (e.g., 6/8)
Use phrase marks for musical shaping and breathing in performance
Understand key signatures and accidentals (e.g., F# in the key signature)
Choose sharp vs flat note names based on key context and spelling
Use sustain pedal appropriately for resonance and smooth connected sound
Understand intervals; apply scale theory and learn additional scales
Build triads, broken chords, and inversions (e.g., first inversion)
Learn beginner repertoire incl. Minuet in G, blues, Für Elise, Prelude in F, easy jazz
About the free online course
Learning piano can feel overwhelming at first: a full keyboard, strange symbols on the page, and two hands that never seem to agree. This beginner-friendly online course is designed to turn that confusion into clarity, guiding you from your very first orientation on the keys to reading simple music and playing complete pieces with control. You will build practical skills step by step, so every lesson gives you something you can hear and feel at the instrument right away.
You will start by making sense of the piano keyboard and quickly connect what you see to what you play. From there, the course helps you begin reading music in a way that is approachable, focusing on the patterns that repeat across the staff and the role of ledger lines when notes move beyond it. As you progress, you will learn how melody works, how rhythm is organized, and how tempo influences the flow of a piece, so you can keep time steadily instead of guessing.
Technique is introduced gradually, with special attention to coordination and healthy habits that support long-term progress. You will practice scales such as C major, learn reliable fingering, and develop left-hand confidence instead of leaving it behind. Musical expression also becomes part of your playing early on, so markings like dynamics, staccato, and smooth legato are not just theory but tools you can use to shape your sound.
Along the way, you will encounter core elements that unlock real repertoire: rests, dotted notes, different time signatures including compound time, accidentals, and the practical meaning of key signatures. As these ideas click, pieces become more enjoyable because you understand what the music is asking for. You will also explore broken chords and inversions, discover how swing changes the feel of a rhythm, and apply these skills to accessible styles including jazzy beginner pieces.
The course keeps you active with questions and exercises that reinforce each concept, helping you spot common mistakes and correct them before they become habits. By the end, you will have a stronger foundation, a clearer practice strategy, and a more confident path forward whether your goal is to play for fun, return to music as an adult, or prepare for further study.
Course content
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 1 || The Piano Keyboard11m
Exercise: Which method does NOT help beginners learn the names of the white notes on the piano?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 2 || Starting to Read Music19m
Exercise: What is the purpose of ledger lines when notating music on a stave?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 3 || Reading a Melody16m
Exercise: What term describes the speed at which the beat of a piece of music progresses?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 4 || The Left Hand And The Scale Of C Major16m
Exercise: When playing the C major scale on the piano with the right hand, which fingers should cross over and under one another, and at which notes does this occur?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 5 || Learning a Piece14m
Exercise: What is the meaning of the 'mp' dynamic marking seen at the beginning and end of a piece of music?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 6 || A New Piece, A New Scale, And Rests13m
Exercise: What new time signature is introduced in the piece titled 'Lullaby' covered in this piano tutorial?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 7 || Quavers (Eighth Notes) And Accidentals14m
Exercise: What is a quaver in music notation?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 8 || A New Piece, Phrase Marks And Ritenuto12m
Exercise: In the piano tutorial, what purpose do phrase marks serve in the sheet music?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 9 || The Concept Of Musical Key13m
Exercise: What should you play as F sharp in a piece of music that has a key signature with a sharp on the F line?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 10 || More Scales, And Playing Staccato18m
Exercise: In a piano scale, what determines the naming of a black key as a flat (♭) or a sharp (#) in a given key?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 11 || Three Pieces To Learn15m
Exercise: What is the purpose of the sustain pedal on a piano, as described in the text?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 12 || Rhythm Reading And New Scales17m
Exercise: What is the function of a dotted note in sheet music?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 13 || 2/4 Time And Semiquavers (16th Notes)24m
Exercise: When learning to play the piano, which time signature indicates that there are two beats per bar with each beat equivalent to a crotchet (quarter note)?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 14 || Compound Time16m
Exercise: Which time signature is known as a compound time signature?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 15 || Minuet in G19m
Exercise: What is the name of the collection of keyboard music that includes the famous Minuet in G?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 16 || Broken Chord Exercises14m
Exercise: In what inversion is a triad placed when the third note of a scale is the lowest note?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 17 || Learning A Blues Piece15m
Exercise: What type of note gets a swinging jazzy feel in 4/4 time according to the 'Thursday evening blues' lesson?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 18 || How To Play Fu?r Elise19m
Exercise: What time signature is used in Beethoven's piece 'Für Elise' that is discussed in Bill's tutorial?
Video class: How To Play Piano For Beginners, Lesson 19 || New Scales And Scale Theory19m
Exercise: What term is used for the distance between any two notes on the piano keyboard?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 20 || A New Piece, Prelude in F24m
Exercise: In the tutorial for 'Prelude in F major', what should the pianist use to achieve a smooth legato and to help with the resonance?
Video class: How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 21 || What To Do Next11m
Exercise: What should be your number one priority after making progress with your piano skills according to the given text?
Video class: 10 Problems of Self-Taught Pianists (...With Solutions)16m
Exercise: What should a beginner piano player focus on to build a strong foundation and avoid difficulties later on?
Video class: The Piano Learning Strategy Adult Students MUST Know12m
Exercise: Which learning strategy was suggested for piano students to reinforce their understanding of early lessons?
Video class: Piano Beginners' Top 5 questions — Answered!04m
Exercise: Which aspect is considered more crucial for making progress in learning piano?
Video class: Three Easy Jazzy Pieces, Part 1/3 || Easy Jazz Piano Piece With Score15m
Exercise: What is an example of rhythmic anticipation in the piece 'A Quiet Night on South Street'?
Video class: Three Easy Jazzy Pieces, Part 2/3 || Easy Jazz Piano Piece With Score18m
Exercise: Which technique is NOT one of the two most important left-hand techniques in jazz piano discussed in the tutorial?
Video class: Three Easy Jazzy Pieces, Part 3/3 || Easy Jazz Piano Piece With Score18m
Exercise: What is the key signature of the piece 'On Dolphin Lane'?
