Play the Piano and Sing!

Name: Play the Piano and Sing!
Rating: 4.9 (20 reviews)

Intro to playing the piano and singing, sight reading, playing chords, and improvising!

Created bySarah Bonsignore

Last updated 2/2021

English

What you'll learn

How to play and sing multiple songs while improvising over simple chord progressions
How to do a self guided vocal warmup and be more creative in your daily practice
How to read notes, chord symbols, time signatures and rhythms, as well as play chords and inversions in many different ways
How to play multiple scales, and sing in solfege
How to identify harmony and train the ear for hearing intervals

Course content

3 sections • 14 lectures • 2h 6m total length

Lesson 1 - Warmups9:57
In lesson 1 we will do a simple vocal warmup on three notes to get ready for each lesson. Students will learn how to play the C major scale singing on numbers, note names and solfege. We will also go over the triads in C major. I highly suggest printing out the music and notes for every lesson and putting them into an organized (ring) binder in the order you learn them. This way as you progress you will always be able to refer back to your songs and start building up a repertoire. Also, if you are listening through headphones, it might be easier to listen to the lesson with your left ear but leave your right ear free to hear yourself playing and singing.

Lesson 2 - Pentatonic Scale and two chords9:07
In lesson 2 we will work on echoing a melody and playing a C chord and an F chord in the left hand. Students should play one hand at a time until they are comfortable trying the exercises with both hands. Students will also learn how to play a pentatonic scale. Remember, listen to the lesson in your left ear if you are using headphones, and to yourself singing and playing in your right ear (take the headphone out of your right ear).

Lesson 3 - C and G chord, and Hush Little Baby9:50
In this lesson students will learn how to play a C chord in root position and a G chord in first inversion. We will go over whole notes and quarter notes and how they work together. Students will be shown how to "open" the triads up, but should keep playing the simple triads until they are ready to play "open" chords in both hands. When I demonstrate in both hands, students could pick one hand to focus on until they are ready to attempt putting them together.
Lesson 4 - Close Chords and Open Chords7:25
In this lesson we will read the major triads in the bass clef in our left hand while improvising a simple melody in the voice. We will go over dotted half notes and what a "tie" looks like and how it functions. Students will learn how to play the triads in "open" position, and continue to improvise a melody over the exercises. It is always a good idea to do the three note warmup before starting each lesson, and singing up and down the C major scale and pentatonic scale.
Lesson 5 - Peace Like a River and the G major Scale5:44
In this lesson we will go over close and open chords, and students will learn how to sing and play a traditional song called Peace Like a River using the three chords they have learned so far. They will also be shown techniques to change the rhythm in the right hand and left hand when they are ready. Again, students should keep playing the simple chords until they are mastered, and then attempt the broken chords. Please follow this lesson by watching the G Major Scale video.
Lesson 6 - Improvising on C, F and G chords10:06
In this lesson students will be shown simple ways to improvise melodies over the chords they have learned so far - C, F and G, as well as different ways to play the chords.
Lesson 7 - Substitution Chords7:46
In lesson 7 students will be shown how to find the minor chord substitutions for C, F and G major, and how to improvise over them. Print out the music before watching the lesson, and focus on one hand in each exercise until you ready to put the hands together.
Lesson 8 - Jingle Bells12:06
In this lesson students will be taught how to play and sing "Jingle Bells" using close chords in the left hand, and then in open chords in both hands, as well as different ways to break the chords up. Students will then be shown how to play the song in both hands. As always, practice the music in separate hands until ready to put the hands together. All of the sheet music is attached, print it out first and add it to your binder of music.
Lesson 9 - Happy Birthday11:12
In this lesson we will learn how to play and sing "Happy Birthday" in 2 different keys. This will give students the skills to modulate music (change keys) when they need to adjust the key of songs depending on their range.
Lesson 10 - The Art of letting Go7:37
In this lesson students will be introduced to a few more chords - A minor, D minor and E minor, as well as a new song called "The Art of Letting Go". Students will be encouraged to try playing the chords using different rhythm patterns and experimenting with the ones they already know.
Lesson 11 - For He's a Jolly Good Fellow12:34
Today the students will learn about simple and compound beats, and how to identify the nature of the beat in all the music they listen to. They will also learn how to play a new traditional song, "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow". As always, students are encouraged to watch the video many times and practice the music in separate hands while singing along until they are ready to play the music hands together.
Lesson 12 - Practicing Chords in C9:37
In this lesson we will work on all the chords we know in C major. Students will improvise over the open chords and practice a number of different techniques for improvising melody and harmony.
Lesson 13 - Shanendoah7:06
Today students will learn how to play and sing a beautiful traditional song called "Shanendoah". They will also be introduced to "sus" (suspended) chords.
Lesson 14 - Auld Lang Syne6:32
In the final lesson students will learn how to play and sing a traditional song for ringing in the New Year called "Auld Lang Syne".

Requirements

No experience necessary (but a little music knowledge is a bonus).
It is helpful to have a keyboard or piano, but students can also benefit from singing along, developing their ear and learning how to read music and improvise.
An enthusiastic and positive attitude will take you far!

Description

Sarah Bonsignore is an award winning musician with over twenty years in music education. If you are looking for an introduction to singing and how to begin playing the piano, this lesson course will teach you the fundamentals of music notation, how to build chords and improvise melodies, how to produce a clear vocal sound and accompany yourself with simple triads (root chords) and their inversions, as well as how to play scales and open chords with lots of rhythmic patterns to make your songs come alive.

Music fundamentals can't be learned over night. Please be prepared to practice for a few minutes everyday. The more time you practice each lesson, the better you will get! It's that simple. Take the lessons at your own pace and move on only when you are ready. By the end of the series you will have gained a deeper understanding of how music works, and you'll have 8 songs in your repertoire as well as chord exercises for improvising. The lessons will give you the tools you need to read music notation and chord symbols so that when you are done, you can download or buy easy sheet music for all the songs you love.

These lessons will also help to develop your "ear training" skills (how to hear harmony), time signatures, scales, phrase and cadence. Each lesson will have sheet music attached which should be printed out and used for independent practicing. Videos should be watched multiple times, focusing in on one hand at a time until you are ready to play the songs with both hands. Many of my students work on songs hands separately for a few days to a week before attempting to play with both hands. It's not so easy, especially for a total beginner, so please go easy on yourself, and don't give up! With a little effort, you WILL get better!!

There are more challenging options at the end of the lessons so that students who want to take their music to the next level will have an opportunity to do so. These lessons are designed for the motivated beginner, but they are also appropriate for intermediate and advanced students who are interested in learning how to play and sing songs by ear, as well as develop their ear for harmony, sight reading and theory skills.

If you have any questions or concerns along the way, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Who this course is for:

This course is designed for aspiring pianists and singers
Musicians who play other instruments but are interested in singing and playing the piano for fun.
Songwriters who are looking to write in a piano style
Students who want to develop their ear for harmony and learn how to create melodies and write songs.

Play the Piano and Sing!

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction to Piano and Singing1 lecture • 10min

Lesson 2 - Pentatonic Scale and two chords1 lecture • 9min

Lesson 3 - Hush Little Baby12 lectures • 1hr 48min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: