A simple guide for beginners, with practical ideas for learning the keyboard, getting your fingers moving and playing something musical.
When you’re first learning to play the piano, you might find yourself sitting down at the keyboard and wondering what you should actually practise.
Should you be learning the notes? Should you be doing finger exercises? Should you be trying to learn a song?
Well, the answer is that you can do a little bit of all these things, but there’s no need to try to learn everything at once.
I think one of the best things you can do when you’re starting out is to keep things simple. Get familiar with the keyboard, get your fingers moving and, most importantly, try to learn something you can actually play.
Let’s look at a few things you could try.
Get familiar with the keyboard
One of the first things I’d recommend is getting to know your way around the keyboard.
If you’re a complete beginner, start by learning the names of the white keys. You don’t need to memorise the entire keyboard straight away, but gradually becoming familiar with where the notes are will make things much easier as you progress.
Once you’re comfortable with the white keys, you can start getting familiar with the black keys, too.
The black keys are particularly useful because they help you find your way around the keyboard. Once you begin to recognise their pattern, you’ll find it much easier to work out where the white keys are in relation to them.
There’s no need to rush this. Spend a little time getting familiar with the keys whenever you sit down to practise.
Try some simple finger exercises
Another thing you could do is spend a few minutes getting your fingers moving.
For example, you could place your five fingers on five neighbouring white keys, with one finger on each key. Then try playing the notes one at a time, moving from your thumb through to your little finger, and then back again.
Keep it slow and comfortable to begin with.
You don’t need to play quickly, and there’s no need to turn it into a complicated exercise. You’re simply getting used to moving your fingers and pressing the keys.
You can start with one hand and then try the other when you’re comfortable.
And don’t worry if your fingers feel a little awkward at first. That’s perfectly normal when you’re learning something new.
The idea isn’t to spend your entire practice session doing finger exercises. They’re just one way of getting comfortable with the keyboard.
Learn something short that you can actually play
This is probably the most important thing I’d recommend.
Rather than spending all your time learning notes and doing exercises, try to learn something musical as well.
And when I say something musical, I don’t necessarily mean a complete song.
It could be a short passage of music, a little melody, a simple bassline or even just a few notes that sound good together.
The important thing is that it’s something you can learn fairly quickly and play from beginning to end.
For example, you might find a beginner piano tutorial that teaches you a short musical phrase. You could learn that little section, practise it a few times and gradually become more comfortable playing it.
It might only last ten seconds, but that’s absolutely fine.
If you’ve learned something yourself and can sit down at the piano and play it, that’s an achievement.
You can then move on to something else, or gradually add a little more to what you’ve already learned.
Before you know it, those short passages can start becoming longer pieces of music.
Try picking out a melody yourself
Here’s another thing you could try, and you don’t necessarily need a piano tutorial to do it.
Think of a simple song or melody that you know well. Try humming or singing it, either out loud or in your head, and then see if you can find those notes on the keyboard.
You might start by finding just the first few notes.
Don’t worry if you can’t work out the entire melody. You’re simply experimenting and seeing whether you can match the notes you’re hearing in your head to the keys in front of you.
You might find the first note, then another, and gradually start putting a little phrase together.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t need to know lots of music theory to have a go.
You can learn a great deal simply by listening, experimenting and getting used to how different notes sound.
And if you enjoy doing this, you might find yourself coming up with little melodies of your own, too.
Don’t try to learn an entire song straight away
When you’re starting out, it’s very easy to hear a piece of music you like and want to learn the whole thing immediately.
There’s nothing wrong with having that ambition, but you don’t have to learn an entire song in one go.
Instead, try breaking it down into smaller sections.
You might start with a short introduction, a little melody or a simple bassline. Once you’re comfortable with that section, you can move on to the next one.
This makes the whole process feel much more manageable.
And remember, you don’t have to start with a difficult song. Choose something simple that you enjoy listening to and that feels achievable at your current level.
You can always work towards more complicated music as you become more comfortable playing.
Repeat things you’ve already learned
Practice doesn’t always have to mean learning something new.
In fact, going back to something you’ve already learned can be a really useful part of your practice.
Perhaps there’s a little melody you’ve been working on, or a bassline that you can almost play comfortably.
Spend a few minutes playing it again.
You might find that something which felt awkward yesterday feels a little easier today. Or you might discover that there’s still a particular part you need to work on.
Either way, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to become more familiar with what you’ve learned.
You don’t need to move on to something new every time you sit down at the piano.
Sometimes, playing something you already know is just as worthwhile.
Keep your practice simple
One thing I’d really encourage you to do is avoid trying to cover too many things in one practice session.
You don’t need to learn the names of every key, practise all your fingers, learn a new melody and study music theory every time you sit down.
Choose one or two things to work on.
For example, you might spend a few minutes getting familiar with the keyboard and then learn a short musical phrase.
Another day, you might do a simple finger exercise and spend some time playing a melody you’ve already learned.
There’s no single routine that everybody has to follow.
The important thing is to find things that help you become more comfortable at the piano, while giving yourself the chance to enjoy playing music.
As you progress, you’ll naturally discover more things to learn and practise. There’s plenty of time for that.
What if I don’t know where to start?
If you’re sitting at the piano and aren’t sure what to do, here’s a simple approach you could try.
Spend a couple of minutes finding your way around the keyboard and naming some of the white keys.
Then, try a simple finger exercise to get your fingers moving.
After that, choose something musical to learn. It could be a short passage from a tutorial, a simple bassline or a melody you’ve been trying to pick out yourself.
If you have time, go back to something you’ve already learned and play it again.
That’s a perfectly reasonable way to spend a short practice session.
You don’t need to do all of these things every day, and you certainly don’t need to spend hours at the piano.
Just start with something small and build from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a complete beginner practise on the piano first?
Start by getting familiar with the keyboard and learning the names of the white keys. You can also try some simple finger movements and begin learning a short piece of music or melody.
Should I practise scales or learn songs first?
You don’t have to choose just one. Simple exercises can help you become comfortable moving your fingers, while learning short pieces of music gives you something practical to play. When you’re starting out, a mixture of the two can work well.
How long should I practise one piece of music?
There’s no fixed amount of time. Start with a short section that feels manageable and repeat it until you’re becoming more comfortable with it. You can gradually add more as you progress.
Can I learn piano by picking out songs by ear?
You can certainly have a go at picking out melodies by ear. Try humming a familiar tune and finding the notes on the keyboard. You might only manage a few notes at first, but it’s a useful way to experiment with music and become more familiar with the keys.
Do I need to practise every finger straight away?
No. You can start with simple finger movements and gradually become comfortable using all five fingers in each hand. There’s no need to make things unnecessarily complicated when you’re just starting out.
Final Thoughts
When you’re learning the piano, you don’t need to make every practice session complicated.
Get familiar with the keyboard, spend a little time getting your fingers moving and, most importantly, try to learn something musical that you can actually play.
It might be a short passage of music, a simple bassline or just a few notes from a melody you know.
It doesn’t have to be a complete song, and it doesn’t have to take you hours to learn.
Start small, enjoy the process and gradually build on what you’ve learned.
Because at the end of the day, you’re not just learning where the notes are or how to move your fingers. You’re learning to play music.