The purpose of this website: helping you learn to play the piano. Building a strong foundation of piano-playing skills will lead to a lifetime of piano-playing joy.
Lesson 6:
You Are My Sunshine in C, F, & G
"You Are My Sunshine" is a simple tune, but you do have to move your hand to different positions on the piano keys; it’s not just a “five-note” position piece. Thus, you will be improving your keyboard awareness and skill by learning to play it well, especially by learning it in three different keys.
Instructions for learning a piece on the piano:
-play each line with right hand (fingerings written above note names) until it is easy and/or memorized.
-play each line with left hand (fingerings written below note names) until it is easy and/or memorized.
-play each line with both hands until it is easy and/or memorized.
-string the lines together until you can play the whole piece. Keep it slow until you are comfortable and familiar with it. Then, start playing it faster, working up to an appropriate tempo for that piece.
-Regardless of tempo, relax your arms & shoulders and keep it smooth and flowing.
[The tunes listed in the "free piano lessons" portion of this website provide a fun way for beginners to begin getting to know their way around the piano keyboard. By learning a bunch of simple tunes and learning to play them hands-separately and hands-together, as well as in at least 3 different keys, a new piano player not only learns the layout of the notes, but also begins to develop knowledge and confidence in piano fingerings. Along the way, you are working on the ability to learn and memorize melodies on the keys. Add a bit of work with a metronome and you begin developing a sense for steady rhythm, as well as the ability to work with an extremely valuable tool. Together, these elements will become part of a solid foundation of basic skills needed for more advanced piano playing in the future.]
For a more complete understanding of how to build your piano-playing foundation, read
For the most direct, organized, and progressive path to learning to play the piano, start
the Piano Skills Foundation series of piano lessons.
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Video Tutorial
Music Notation
“You Are My Sunshine” in key of C (sing along to establish proper rhythm):
[note: D-Sharp is the black note to the right (a half-step up) of D.]
Key of F (sing along to establish proper rhythm):
[note: G-Sharp is the black note to the right (a half-step up) of G.]
[note: B-flat is the black note to the left (a half-step down) of
B.]
Key of G (sing along to establish proper rhythm):
[note: A-Sharp is the black note to the right (a half-step up)
of A.]
More Information on "You Are My Sunshine"
For more about this tune, click here.
If you want to see a blueprint for a successful piano journey...
read
"Piano Player... You"
A guide to building a solid and complete piano-playing foundation.
-Click here to learn more about this e-book-
If you would like a step-by-step guide to help you on your piano journey...
start working through
"The Piano Skills Foundation" piano lessons
-Click here to learn more about this piano course-
Return from "You Are My Sunshine" to "Free Piano Lessons"
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