How to play an easy song on the piano

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson about playing an easy song on the piano.

🎲 What’s included in the activities:

• Learning the G chord
• Playing the G chord in a song
• Learning the Em chord
• Combining G and Em chords in a song
• Learning the C chord
• Combining G, Em & C chords in a song
• Playing one full section of the song

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to Wi-Fi
• Pianos or Keyboards for students

Inspiration

🕐  Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Choose a song and analyze it

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Select the song 'Freaks' by Surf Curse from the Song library. Click on 'Piano' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals' so that the keyboard is visible.
• Tell students a bit about the song. You can mention some facts from the song description!
• Listen to Intro and Verse 1 of the song.
• Discuss with your students:

How would you describe the mood of the song?

Do you expect it to be easy or hard to play this song?

What is the genre of this song? (Pop)

What is a chord?

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Remind students what is a chord
• Remind students with which fingers a chord is usually played
• Build a G chord on the piano

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Ask your students to define what is a chord:

When you play 3 or more keys at the same time, it is a chord.

• Ask your students how the easiest chords are usually built:

You put your 1st finger on a white key, then skip one white key, then put your 3rd finger on a white key, then skip one key, then put your 5th finger on a white key.

• Ask your students to build such a chord from the G key:

You have to play the G key with your 1st finger, skip the A key, press the B key with your 3rd finger, skip the C key and play the D key with your 5th finger.

Play the G chord

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to and play the G chord on the piano

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Click on 'G' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io keyboard showing the G chord is visible.
• Tell your students to play the G chord on their pianos with their right hands with the keys they correctly guessed in the warm-up. You can also ask them to look at the Solfeg.io keyboard on the screen to see the chord.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!
  

Catch the chord!

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to and play the G chord in a song on the piano

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Play the intro of the song and listen to it with your students.
• Tell the students that they will now have to try to play the G chord in this song.
• The rules are simple - as soon as the G chord passes the red line - play it! Other chords should be omitted now.
• Press play and let them practice the chord and get familiar with it! You can also press the loop button in the controls so that the intro section would repeat multiple times.
  

Play the Em chord

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn and play the Em chord on the piano

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Explain to your students that they will have to play another very similar chord.
• Click on 'Em' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io keyboard showing the Em chord is visible.
• Get your students acquainted with the Em chord - explain that they have to press a white key (Em) with their 1st finger, a white key (G) with their 3rd finger, and a white key (B) with their 5th finger. Tell them that this chord has 2 of the same keys that the G chord had (G & B)!
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!

Add the next one!

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to and play the G & Em chords in a song on the piano

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Tell students that they will have to play the G and Em chords in this song.
• Look at the song and play G and Em chords when they pass the red line!
• Play the intro section of the song and let them practice the chord and get familiar with it! You can also press the loop button in the controls so that the intro section would repeat multiple times.
  

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It's the last chord, woohoo!

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn and play the C chord on the piano

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Click on 'C' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io keyboard showing the C chord is visible.
• Show students the C chord - it consists of C-Em-G keys and you have to press them with your 1st, 3rd and 5th fingers. This chord also has 2 of the same keys that the previous chord had (E & G)!
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!

It's the combo

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play the G, Em and C chords on the piano one after the other

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Show this chord combo to your students - G-G-Em-Em-C-C-G-G. Repeat it multiple times.
• Let the students practice this combo by themselves. Encourage them to slowly build up the tempo if they feel comfortable enough.

Get the Intro

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play G, Em and C chords on the piano in a popular song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Play the Intro of the song to your students (G-G-Em-Em-C-C-G-G). After that, press play and let the students try to repeat the intro by themselves. You can loop the Intro section and do it multiple times until the students feel comfortable with this part of the song.

Full On

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play G, Em and C chords on the piano in a popular song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Try to play the full song with your students! If students seem to struggle, you can slow down the tempo and practice the song with slower chord changes.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

What did you like about the song 'Freaks'?

Which chord was the most challenging?

Do you think you could play all these chords by heart after learning this song?

Which other parts of the song would you like to learn (vocal, rhythm, ukulele)?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice G, Em, C and other easy chords in popular songs

🎲 Activity:

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• For students feeling comfortable with white-key chords, you can give a 10-minute  'Very Easy' workout for piano

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