Learn classical piano; Learn to Play & Read Music!

There is no summary for this video, you can proceed with the next lesson :)

The Worksheets are the following lesson!

Worksheets, recap and homework is the next lesson; RECAP and Worksheets Lesson 3

Here are some worksheets on what you've learned in this lesson and their correction sheet:

This sheet music focuses on playing the scale correctly with the right fingering in both right and left hand, and then together — just for one octave. Keep in mind, you should also practice the full piano range from the lowest to the highest notes. I don’t have sheet music for that, but if your fingering is precise, it won’t be difficult. You can re-watch the video to see exactly how to transition smoothly between positions.

No worksheet for this lesson

Make sure to put your metronome at 60 beats per minute!

Here is a short and concise summary of what you have learned this lesson:

What’s a “key”?

• A key is the set of notes a piece mostly uses, with a home note (the tonic) it feels drawn to.

• Example: In the key of C major, the music mainly uses C–D–E–F–G–A–B and “comes home” to C.

Key signatures (the symbols at the start of the staff)

• The sharps (♯) or flats (♭) placed right after the clef tell you which notes are always raised or lowered throughout the piece (until canceled).

• They save you from writing accidentals over and over and tell you the key (major/minor family) of the music.

How to read them (major keys):

• Sharps: Look at the last sharp and go up a half step → that’s the major key.

  • Example: Last sharp = G♯ → up a half step is A → A major.

• Flats: Look at the second-to-last flat → that’s the major key.

  • Example: Flats = B♭, E♭ → second-to-last is B♭ → B♭ major.

  • If there’s only one flat, it’s F major.

Circle of Fifths (super quick)

• Start at C major (no sharps/flats).

• Move clockwise by a fifth (C→G→D→A→E→B→F♯→C♯): add one sharp each step.

  • Example: G major has 1 sharp (F♯), D major has 2 (F♯, C♯), etc.

• Move counterclockwise (C→F→B♭→E♭→A♭→D♭→G♭→C♭): add one flat each step.

Relative minor vs. Parallel minor

• Relative minor: Shares the same key signature as its major; starts on the 6th note of the major scale (or go down 3 semitones from the major tonic).

  • Examples: C major ↔ A minor (no sharps/flats), G major ↔ E minor (1 sharp).

• Parallel minor: Shares the same home note (tonic) but different key signature.

  • Example: C major (no sharps/flats) vs C minor (3 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭).

  • Sound tip: parallel minor feels darker because the 3rd, 6th, and 7th scale notes are lower.

That’s it—keys = home base, key signatures = which notes are sharpened/flatted, Circle of Fifths = how sharps/flats accumulate, and the two minors = same signature (relative) vs same tonic (parallel).

Be sure to practice with a metronome! If you forgot (or I didnt mention) how many bpm your metronome is supposed to be at, then always put it at 60 for a quarter note. If that is too fast, put it slower until you can play it comfortably, then gradually speed up.

I’ve added a small PDF with all the major scales and their equivalent harmonic minor scales. This is a perfect warm-up exercise for piano—much better than doing random finger drills.

Here’s how you can use it:

• Pick one scale and practice it for 5–10 minutes.

• Play the scale up and down, then try the arpeggios (broken chords) listed there.

• Pay attention to the key signature so you know which sharps or flats belong to the scale.

• Look at the tonic, subdominant, and dominant triads (the main chords in that key).

This way, you’re not only training your fingers but also learning music theory while playing. You don’t have to rush—learn one scale a week, or go at your own pace. Over time, you’ll build strong technique, and you’ll start to really understand how keys, chords, and arpeggios connect.

I’ve also added a better sheet music version of Bach’s Prelude in C major for you. You can print it out if you want to practice it separately.

Normally, Bach wrote these as a Prelude and a Fugue (they always come together as a pair), but here I left out the fugue. That’s because the prelude is the easier one—it’s built on arpeggios, which is exactly what we just learned and practiced.

So don’t worry about the fugue for now, just focus on the prelude. It’s a beautiful piece, perfect for beginners to get comfortable with arpeggios. This sheet music is clean and simple, so it should help you a lot.

Good luck, you can absolutely do it! ?

This sheet music is for Waltz Op. 39 No. 13 by Dmitri Kabalevsky, and it’s a version by Michael Kravchuk. I chose this one because it’s clear and easy to read, so it should make practicing much smoother.

For this lesson, I’ve included some extra resources to help you out:

• A PDF on intervals (in case you still find them a bit confusing).

• A PDF about understanding scales and chords — it’s a nice little recap of everything we’ve covered so far.

• An article on chord inversions from Flowkey, which I found really interesting and helpful.

If something in this video wasn’t 100% clear, these resources should definitely make it easier to understand. And of course, if you ever want more explanations, you can always check out YouTube tutorials or other articles, but honestly, I’m confident these resources will give you everything you need to really grasp these theory concepts.

In this lesson, you learned a short extract from “The Wild Horseman” by Robert Schumann.

This is not the full piece—just a small section that’s perfect for practicing the skills you’ve learned so far.

If you’d like to play the complete piece, you can easily find the full sheet music online by searching for The Wild Horseman – Schumann. For now, just enjoy working on this extract and use it as solid practice!

In this lesson, you’ve learned about SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) and scientific pitch notation. To support your learning, I’ve included a couple of helpful resources below:

• A link that explains the scientific pitch notation in more detail, in case you’d like a clearer breakdown.

• A beginner’s guide to four-part harmony, which goes deeper into SATB writing and shows you how soprano, alto, tenor, and bass lines work together.

These are optional, but if you’re curious or want a deeper understanding, I highly recommend checking them out!

In this lesson, you’ve been introduced to ornaments in music. To help you even more, I’ve included a resource below — an article that gives extra explanations and clear visual examples of ornaments.

If anything from the video wasn’t fully clear, or if you’d like a more detailed look at how ornaments work, definitely check it out. It’s a great way to reinforce what you’ve just learned.

In this lesson, you learned about articulation and expression marks, but I want to highlight something extra important: the pedal markings and how to use the pedal correctly.

I’ve included a great resource below that explains this in detail. It even has a pedal exercise you can try out, which is super helpful for building control and understanding when and how to use the pedal.

Definitely check it out—it’s a really valuable skill to start developing early on!

Now that you’ve learned so many different skills, here’s your updated practice routine to bring it all together:

1. Warm up with a scale – play it up and down a few times to get your fingers moving and your mind focused.

2. Technique work – start with Czerny or Hanon exercises (or both, if you feel up to it). Some days you’ll only manage 10 minutes, other days maybe half an hour—both are perfectly fine. Listen to your energy and focus.

3. Main piece practice – once you’re warmed up, dive into a piece of real music. This could be something you’re already working on (like finishing The Wild Horseman by Schumann), or something new, like a Chopin Nocturne.

? The key is balance: don’t just stick to exercises. Make sure you’re also practicing real music that you enjoy. Choose something not too hard but not too easy either—just challenging enough to keep you motivated while still fun to play.

That’s your upgraded practice routine—structured, effective, and musical.