Modern Piano Lessons For Beginners

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the C Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the G Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the D Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the A Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the E Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the B Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the F# Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the C# Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the F Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Bb Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Eb Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Ab Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Db Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Gb Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Cb Major Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the A Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the E Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the B Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the F# Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the C# Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the G# Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the D# Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the A# Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the D Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the G Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the c Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the F Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Bb Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Eb Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

In this lecture, you will be reviewing the Ab Minor Scale and included in this lecture:

- Video of the scale and chord structures

- Detailed chart of the key signature

The first piano lesson we will review is "Fire We Make" by Alicia Keys and Maxwell which is in A minor and the easiest scale to learn for beginning students. There only a few chords in this song which aren't terribly difficult for new players to use. This particular lesson will focus on timing the bass hand (left hand) and synchronizing the melodic (right hand) patterns. There is a unique bass walk down (descending pattern) which brings out a tonal flavor which sound great for piano!!!

In this lesson you will learn:

• The proper finger positioning for the key of a minor
• All of the chords for the a minor key signature
• All of the notes needed to play this song effectively and efficiently

Also included are pdfs just for "Fire We Make" and the accompanying quiz!

Any questions, please ask them in the discussion group!

For lecture 2, we will study "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars which a fairly easy piece to learn. It is in the key of F Major and has only a few chords and a simple melody that embodies its composition. The right hand will have a strong, yet pleasant presence due to the nature of the key signature. As this is the second piano lesson, you will utilize what you have learned with the "Piano Basics" and "Fire We Make" lectures. Along with this video lesson, you will have a two documents (a quiz and additional lecture) geared towards establishing your musical knowledgebase.

In this video lesson and supplementary lecture you'll learn:

1) The notes needed to play "Just The Way You Are"

2) Detailed chord information of the F Major Scale

3) Appropriate hand and finger positions to properly play the song.

Any questions can be added to the discussion board!

"Lollipop" is a Grammy-Award Winning Hip Hop song by Lil Wayne. This is a 4-chord progression and we are moving over to key of D minor. Many of the chords in this song you've already seen with "Fire We Make" by Alicia Keys and "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. At this point, the melodic (right hand notes) will be the most challenging journey for new musicians, but it is certainly feasible to master within a short period of time.

In this lecture you will learn:

1) The chords and notes of the d minor key signature

2) Proper finger positioning to play in the d minor scale

3) Detailed chord and structural analysis of how to play "Lollipop"

Any questions can be asked within the Discussion Board Area!

For our final lecture of the first section we will learn "Grenade" by Bruno Mars which has a fairly prominent and easy piano melody that is present throughout much of the song. Since we have reviewed three key signatures, A minor, F Major, and D minor, this will be a cumulative lecture as many of the chords found in those respective key signatures will also present in this song. The song is a bit more darker due to it's tonality and minor key origins, but it is still enjoyable to learn and ultimately play.

In this lecture, you will:

1) Reiterate your knowledge of the d minor scale

2) Learn the left and right hand patterns needed to master the song.

3) Understand chord inversions in relationship to d minor and other scales.

4) Have access to additional material catered to this specific course (a primer and quiz).

Feel free to ask any questions in the main discussion area!

As we near the halfway point of our lecture, "That's The Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson is a a fantastic love ballad that now introduces more black keys or "accidentals". The song is in the key of G Minor which is a gradual progression from a minor and f major. At this point you are very familiar with many of the chords of this song as you've encountered them in previous lectures and accompanying material.

In this lecture you will learn:

1) All of the chords for the g minor scale

2) The proper finger positions for g minor

3) The exact positions for left and right hand patterns.

Any and all questions can be directed to the discussion board!

"Trouble" by the group Coldplay is a Grammy-Award winning ballad written in the key of G Major. This will be the largest piece we will be reviewing by far. We will be shifting to using sharp keys (variations of the black keys) in this lesson in preparation for future lectures. Once again, even though we are in the G Major scale, we still will be utilizing many of the chords from our first section and blending it into a nice harmony. The right hand melody will be no more difficult than "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne and the left hand patterns will be providing a light melodic line.

You will learn the following:

1) The key signature of G Major

2) Proper finger positioning for the G Major Scale

3) The chords the comprise "Trouble" by Coldplay.

Any questions can be directed towards the discussion boards.

"They Don't Know" by Rico Love is an immensely popular R&B song. It is written in the key of C Minor (3 black keys) and has a pretty standard chord progression. We will be using new chord structures not yet reviewed by our group, but will form a strong foundation for Section 3's lectures. This lesson has a very straightforward harmony and accompanying left hand patterns.

In this lesson, you will learn:

1) The chords of the c minor scale

2) Chords to "They Don't Know" by Rico Love

3) Appropriate hand and finger position for the c minor scale.

All questions can be asked within the discussion board section!!!

"Last Time" is an R&B ballad by Trey Songz. It is written in the key of B Minor and is composed of mostly 7th chords. At this stage of our course, we will be using additional sharp keys in conjunction with the chord structures we have previously learned. The hand positioning should feel natural at this point since many of the chords from Coldplay's "Trouble" are fairly prominent in this composition. Per the course layout, additional song notes and quiz are attached in this lecture.

In this song, you will learn:

1) The proper hand positions for B Minor

2) Chord structure for B Minor Scale

3) The correct composition chords for "Last Time" by Trey Songz.

Any further questions can be asked within the discussion board.

"Lately" is a late 90s R&B ballad by Tyrese. It is in the key of F Major and is an extremely romantic song. This last section will begin to have larger and longer lectures with familiar key signatures to re-enforce the ideas from earlier lessons. Many of these chords you've already played with our previous lectures, so acclimation should be fairly straight forward. The melodic line however will be a bit more thorough and a bit more challenging. There is also a key change which will prepare you for the final lesson!

What you'll learn:

1) Additional information on the F Major scale

2) Left and right hand accompaniment patterns

3) The chords needed to play "Lately" by Tyrese

Any additional questions can be asked in the discussion forum!

"Swimming Pools" is a Hip Hop piece written by Kendrick Lamar in the key of D Major. Once again, this is a more current piece and has a fairly easy 4 chord progression. This is another lecture that will expand your knowledge of seventh and ninth chord structures. The melodic section is the only difficulty that students may encounter, but can easily be mastered with fifteen to twenty minutes of practice time.

What you'll learn in this song:

1) The chords and structures of the D Major scale

2) Finger positions of the D Major scale

3) How to play "Swimming Pools" by Kendrick Lamar

Any further questions can be asked on the main discussion board.

"On Bended Knee" is a 90's R&B ballad written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and performed by Boyz II Men. Once again, seventh chord structures will consistently be prevalent throughout the song. We have moved over to the key of Eb Major and additional chords beyond that scope will be used as this song has strong melodic feel that is catered to Boyz II Men. The bass sections (left hand) of this song are probably the most active out of the entire course.The new chords in the song will certainly add an exotic and flavorful sound to your personal chord repertoire!!

What you'll learn in this lecture:

1) The chords of Eb Major

2) Proper hand and finger positions of the Eb Major scale

3) All the chords and melodic sections of this ballad.

Any and all questions can be asked within the discussion forum!!

Congratulations!!! We have reached the end of our course and the final test of your efforts will be to learn "Ribbon In the Sky" by Stevie Wonder! It will certainly be challenging, but I have provided all of the tools you will need to play this song clearly and effectively! This lesson will build on all of the foundations we've learned in the previous lectures, major/minor 7th chords, key changes, and melodic hooks will all be utilized in learning this lesson.

What you'll learn in this lecture:

1) Tying in all the principles of the 12 lectures

2) Learning to play through key changes

3) Ascending and descending melodic patterns

4) All the chords to Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky"

5) E- Flat Minor, E Minor, and F Minor hand positions and chord structures.

6) Study sheet and quiz on "Ribbon In The Sky"!

Any and all questions can be directed to the discussion board!

"Can You Stand The Rain" by New Edition is a classic R&B ballad from the late 80s. Produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it is a love song that focuses on enduring troubled times. For such a serious topic, the key signature is A Flat Major, which is very light tonally. At this stage, many of the chords from "On Bended Knee" find their way into this song, (major and minor sevenths for all intents and purposes). I demonstrate the song on a live piano at first and then show the overhead shot of the lesson.

What you'll learn in this lesson:

1) The chords of Ab Major

2) Proper hand and finger positions of the Ab Major scale

3) All the chords and melodic sections of this fantastic ballad.

Any and all questions can be asked within the discussion forum!!