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Beginner Piano (Udemy.com)

For complete beginners - learn piano from "the best piano teacher in London"!

4.7
2,385 reviews

Created by: Benedict Westenra

Last updated May 2021

Our take

Based on the ratings of 2,385 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in May 2021. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a short, play-first start for people who have never touched a keyboard. Across 89 lectures and about four hours, it teaches six pieces, including Happy Birthday hands together, the opening of Pachelbel's Canon and the bass line and chords of Billie Jean. Finger numbers, hand position, legato and the metronome get folded in along the way. Reading sheet music is left out on purpose, and Benedict Westenra points to a separate course for that. About 16,000 students have enrolled.

Reviewers mostly talk about pace and clarity. Some say the steps are small enough to feel doable, and that the visual demonstrations make each step easy to follow. One calls him obviously a professional, and another likes that he speaks native English. Two say they were playing real music early, which kept them going. Complaints are mild. The one low rating in the sample says it takes real concentration to follow the hand movements, and another reviewer warns it is not easy at first. Of 2,385 ratings, 1,658 are five stars and only 46 are one or two.

The course was last updated in May 2021, which is a few years back, though piano technique doesn't age like software does. Nothing in the sampled reviews suggests the content feels dated. There are no quizzes or exercises, so progress depends on your own daily practice, and four hours only covers a handful of pieces. Beside it sit a chords course and a theory course, so this is the gentle, short way in. Recommended as a first step for beginners, then move on once the basics feel natural.

Best forComplete beginners who want to play recognizable tunes within hours, with no sheet music or theory first.
Skip it ifYou want to read sheet music, or need a long course that goes deep into chords and theory.

Pros

  • Real tunes throughout, from Happy Birthday hands together to the Billie Jean bass line
  • Finger numbers and hand position are taught alongside the tunes, so habits start clean
  • Reviewers call the pace right: small steps, no flood of information
  • Clear explanations backed by visual demonstrations, per reviewers

Cons

  • Last updated in May 2021, which is a few years old by now
  • About four hours and six pieces, so it is a starter, not a full course
  • No quizzes or exercises, and no sheet reading, so it relies on daily practice
Excellent course that begins straight with the piano instead of focusing too much on the theory upfront.
Mihir Wagle, a student

Built for zero-experience beginners; the requirements list no musical knowledge, and sheet reading is left out.

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What you will learn

  • Play the following pieces from memory: the riff to John Lennon's "Imagine"; the opening of Pachelbel's "Canon"; the bass line and chords of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"; Amazing Grace hands together; Happy Birthday hands together; and When the Saints
  • Know which way is up on a piano
  • Understand good practice technique
  • Know the finger numbers
  • Play in time
  • Know the note names
  • Understand good hand position
  • Play "legato" (and know what that means)
  • Phrase melodies properly
  • Know what an "octave" is
  • Coordinate your 2 hands
  • Play with a metronome
  • Play chords

Course content

12 sections · 89 lectures · 4.1 hours of video 3 articles

  1. 1Just start without knowing anything 6 free previews13 lectures · 33 min
  2. 2Realize that the note names would be useful5 lectures · 22 min
  3. 3Learn your first tune 1 free preview11 lectures · 39 min
  4. 4Move your hand around10 lectures · 27 min
  5. 5Add the left hand8 lectures · 19 min
  6. 6Play on black notes12 lectures · 35 min
  7. 7Learn a bass line9 lectures · 21 min
  8. 8Make friends with the metronome1 lecture · 7 min
  9. 9Play chords14 lectures · 38 min
  10. 10Speed it up3 lectures · 6 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • This course is for complete beginners who want to start playing real music without getting bogged down in lots of theory
  • This course is not for people who want to learn how to read music - I have a separate course called "Read Music FAST!" for that

What you need before you start

  • No musical knowledge is needed to take this course!

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Course Description

"Ok – so who would like to start playing the piano without the hours of frustration learning music theory? I’m one. That’s exactly what Benedict does in this course. … I’m amazed at what I’ve been able to learn and play." - Greg R

"This course walks you through playing simple songs, but they actually sound like the real thing which gave me a sense of accomplishment and encouraged me to keep playing. I highly recommend this course!" - Helenmary Cody

This course will teach you good piano technique by getting you to play real pieces of music. In it, I'll show you how to play the following pieces:

the riff to John Lennon's "Imagine" - When the Saints - Happy Birthday hands together - Amazing Grace hands together - the opening of Pachelbel's "Canon" - the bass line and chords of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"

And at the same time I'll teach you the following fundamentals:

which way is up on a piano - good practice technique - the finger numbers - playing in time - the note names - good hand position - how to play "legato" (and what that means) - phrasing - what an "octave" is - coordinating your 2 hands - how to play with a metronome - the right way to play chords

So why this beginner piano course instead of any other one?

1) It doesn't teach you how to play the piano by teaching you how to read music first

Almost all beginner piano courses teach you how to read music first and then get you to play from a score, but that's backwards - after all, you didn't learn to read before you could speak! Reading music is difficult, and if you try to learn how to play piano while learning how to read music at the same time you'll end up doing both badly. Instead, there's a body of research that shows that getting people to play first and then showing them how to read music is better (the approach is called "Sound before Sign"). This is the approach I use in this course. (I have a separate course which teaches you how to read music, called "Read Music FAST!", which you should do after this one.)

2) I have a ridiculous amount of experience teaching music using videos

I've been teaching piano one-on-one for over 10 years, to children and adult beginners as well as industry professionals, and I record practice videos for all of my students. At the time of writing I have over 4,000 private videos on YouTube, and so know exactly how to pace videos so that they're not so fast you can't follow them, but not so slow you get bored and stop either.

3) You'll develop good habits which will save you a ton of time in the future

A lot of beginner piano tutorials are designed to get you to play a piece as fast as possible, which is a good aim in itself (mine do the same), but they'll usually teach you bad habits at the same time, which you'll then have to spend a lot of time unlearning in the future. By contrast, I'll get you to play pieces as fast as possible but also make sure that you're developing good habits in the process so that there's no limit to how good you can get.
Read More Beginner Beginner Level product length iconTime: 4.1h

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Instructor Details

Benedict Westenra

I'm a London-based piano coach with over 10 years of teaching experience. Students include signed artists, senior record executives, and other industry professionals.

I'm currently workshopping a musical which I wrote the book, music, and lyrics to, and which I was invited to play to Stephen Sondheim, plus I've also worked as an official arranger for Beyoncé, Michael Bublé, Cher, and others.

Read More

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Reviews

4.7

2,385 ratings on Udemy

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By Mr Daryl Collinson on 11/6/2025

I have tried for years to learn how to play the piano, with stopping then later trying again and again. I have had a teacher, but unfortunately, I had to look after my mother for a few years, so I had to stop the lessons. Looking at the Udemy site, I found this, and I like the way the piano is being taught; I am encouraged to continue learning in this way.

By Andrey on 6/23/2022

Outstanding course! It teaches basic things perfectly, laying a sound foundation for further progress. As if a live teacher would sit next to you, drawing your attention to smallest but still important details as well as important principles of playing and studying, repeatedly and patiently insisting on your perfecting your moves until you get confident and fluent to feel freedom and excitement about your performance!

By Kamil Ergüner on 5/22/2022

The course content is easy to follow for a beginner. Instructor clearly indicates important points and gives useful tips to remember. I am happy to take and finish that course. I will continue with other courses of the instructor.

By User User on 2/1/2022

Engaging, well organised and practically-oriented. Mayby just a little too basic for my expectations. Should've been called "Piano for ABSOLUTE Beginners" not to confuse people. No complaints other than that.

By Susan King-Wilson on 1/8/2022

Total beginner, stop rewind play again as often as I want That was in January, now in March I have completed this course and even managed to get up to speed for the last video, at least for as long as the video. What a trip! I never thought I'd be able to learn piano. I'm 74, and I have time to practise twice a day. Now on to his reading music part 1. Thank you Benedict.

By Hector Lazcano on 5/28/2020

I am a new learner and it takes me a lot to concentrate on my hand's move. The number to the fingers help a lot though.

By Giancarlo Massari on 4/14/2020

Excellent course . Perfect for beginners. Mr Westenra guides you step by step into the art of piano playing. Perfect teacher! After completing this course I was able to tell which notes are where on the keyboard and to play some easy refrains. I also appreciated Very much his tips on how to practice. @author: for the most interested students and as self study bonus: would it be possible to include a sheet or a link with something more than the First notes of (your arrangement) of the “canon In D”? Thank you very much

By Jasper C. on 3/30/2020

A high quality course presented by a British gentleman. I'm a game developer and used to buy courses in programming and 3D art on Udemy. This is the first course that i tried beyond those fields. Splendid! Benedict not only helps you develop a new skill (playing the piano), but also teaches you the general method of learning.

By Nicola Dal Maso on 10/4/2019

In my opinion, this course is worth every penny you pay for it. Benedict is very good and guides you along with the pieces so well, giving you the right approach to every part of the music he makes you practice. Coming at the end, I think this course does the job of putting a complete beginner in front of a piano, although with very little music theory.

By Algfbfb Jdhndfh on 3/29/2018

If you're just starting with the piano and have no or very little idea about it, this course is the way to go! You're going to learn a bunch of songs and get motivated. Don't think it as just for fun, you actually learn much about piano as well. The teacher explains everything step by step and assumes you know nothing.

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Overall Score : 94 / 100

Beginner Piano
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 4.1h
  • Price: $15.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon May 2021
  • Level: Beginner Beginner
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:89 in 12 sections
  • Students:16,100
  • Subtitles:4 languages
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