## Adult-beginner

Learning piano for beginners should start with a song, not a lecture. This free course teaches you one, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, on your own piano. It is never too late to start.

You play first. The theory arrives in small doses, one idea at a time, until you can read the sheet music you have been playing by ear.


## The course, step by step

The course starts with one key and ends with a scale. You learn to play by ear before you learn to read.

| Step | Lesson | What you learn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | [The White Keys](/lessons/adult-beginner-piano/the-white-keys.md) | Middle C, and the seven white notes from C to B |
| 2 | [Teach Yourself Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star](/lessons/adult-beginner-piano/twinkle-twinkle-little-star.md) | The tune, found by ear |
| 3 | [How to Read Piano Sheet Music](/lessons/adult-beginner-piano/how-to-read-piano-sheet-music.md) | Treble and bass clefs, note lengths, time signatures |
| 4 | [Playing Music with Each Hand](/lessons/adult-beginner-piano/how-to-play-piano-with-both-hands.md) | The right-hand part, then the left |
| 5 | [How to Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Piano](/lessons/adult-beginner-piano/how-to-play-twinkle-twinkle-little-star-on-the-piano.md) | Both hands together, accurate before fast |
| 6 | [The C Major Scale](/lessons/adult-beginner-piano/the-c-major-scale.md) | Your first scale, with fingering for each hand |

Step 2 is the odd one. You get no sheet music at all, just the sound, and you hunt for the notes yourself. It feels like cheating. It is how most people learned songs before paper was cheap.


## What else you'll learn

Besides playing by ear and the basics of sheet music, you pick up three things on the way: the treble and bass clefs, time signatures and measures, and the C major scale.

Each section has music you can play with a MIDI keyboard plugged in. No MIDI keyboard yet? The early lessons work on the on-screen keyboard, so you can start today and buy one later.


## Before you begin

Sit well. Posture at the piano is not fussiness; it is what stops your wrists hurting in week two. The [proper piano posture](/about/proper-piano-posture.md) guide takes two minutes.

Ready to play?