Week 1 — Get to know the keyboard
Leave the note labels switched on for now. The pattern that matters is the group of two black keys and the group of three: C always sits immediately to the left of the two-black-key group. Once you can find any C at a glance, every other key is just counting.
- Find every C on screen, left to right
- Name the white keys between two Cs
- Play C up to C and back, one finger per note
Week 2 — One hand, five fingers
Rest your right thumb on middle C and let the remaining fingers fall on D, E, F and G. This five-finger position underpins most beginner melodies, so settle into it before you stretch your hand further.
Play the shape up and down slowly and listen for even volume. Even notes at a slow tempo beat fast, uneven ones every time.
Week 3 — Three chords, one song
C, F and G cover a surprising number of songs. Learn them one at a time, then practise moving between them in time — the changes, not the chords, are what beginners find hard.
Try C–F–G–C as four slow beats each. Once that settles, add a simple melody on top with the right hand.
Week 4 — Short sessions, every day
Fifteen minutes daily will move you further than a two-hour session once a week, because hands need repetition rather than endurance.
Use the metronome to keep your tempo honest, and mark the notes you keep missing so you can drill them deliberately.