Your First Piano Lesson
I’m truly glad you’ve chosen to start your piano journey here. The piano offers a wide range of possibilities. It is a popular instrument with many different styles of playing available. My aim is to guide you through what I consider the essential foundations needed to get you started at the keyboard.
Sitting Position & Your Hands
Before we talk about the piano, let’s talk about you. Learning to play an instrument is a significant time commitment. You need to spend consistent time with your instrument to improve, which means being mindful of your posture to avoid injury.
When it comes to sitting at the piano, focus on three things. First, sit tall—good posture supports healthy breathing, which is important for all musicians. Second, your arms should be level with the keyboard. Third, your hands should be at a comfortable distance from the keys. You should be able to reach the end of the black keys without overextending, and your elbows should rest near your sides.
Next, let’s consider your hands. They should be relaxed. Think about how they look and feel when you are standing or walking naturally—that same relaxed, rounded shape is what you want at the keyboard. When you play a note, your fingers should maintain that gentle curve and not bend backward.
Lastly, you need to learn how to number your fingers for the piano. Often, music will include recommended fingerings to make playing more efficient. All you need to know is that, on either hand, the thumb is 1, the index finger is 2, the middle finger is 3, the ring finger is 4, and the pinky is 5.
The Black Keys
If you pay close attention to the black keys on the keyboard, you will notice a repeating 2–3–2–3 pattern. This pattern is a great visual way to help us identify notes. The white keys on the keyboard are labeled A through G, and they are called natural notes. The black keys are called sharps or flats.
Arguably, the easiest note to identify on the keyboard is D. Find a group of two black keys—the white key in between them is D. The next white key is E, followed by F, and then G. After G, we circle back around to A.
If you continue identifying notes this way, you should arrive back at another D. If it’s in between two black keys, you counted correctly!
High Notes & Low Notes (Pitch)
If you play notes on the left side of the keyboard, you are playing low notes. They are deep and resonant. The keys on the right side of the keyboard are high notes—they are lighter and more piercing.
So, up or higher means moving to the right on the keyboard, and down or lower means moving to the left.
Long Notes & Short Notes (Rhythm)
Just as we have low and high notes, we also have long and short notes. To determine the appropriate length of a note, we must count. The way we know how much to count is by looking at the shape of the note.
Quarter notes are worth 1 count, half notes are worth 2 counts, and whole notes are worth 4 counts. There are other shapes and symbols that help determine the length of a note, but this is a great starting point.
Playing a Simple Tune
First, let’s figure out your hand placement. Your left hand should go on the notes C, D, and E using fingers 4, 3, and 2. Your right hand should go on the notes F, G, and A using fingers 2, 3, and 4.
Once you have your hand placement down, play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by playing these notes in order:
C C G G A A G
F F E E D D C
G G F F E E D
G G F F E E D
C C G G A A G
F F E E D D C
Conclusion
At this point, you’ve learned the basic foundations needed to begin playing the piano—how to sit, how to use your hands, how to find notes on the keyboard, and how to understand pitch and rhythm.
Take your time with these concepts. Play slowly, stay relaxed, and focus on consistency rather than speed. Even a few minutes of focused practice each day will lead to steady progress.
As you continue, remember that learning an instrument is a gradual process. Be patient with yourself, stay curious, and enjoy the experience of making music.