Learn piano or keyboard from scratch - Complete piano course (Udemy.com)
Piano lessons/ keyboard lessons for beginners. Play piano by ear, chords, reading music, improvisation, music theory
Created by: Martin Cohen
Last updated November 2023
Our take
Based on the ratings of 5,795 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in November 2023. No course pays to be reviewed.
Martin Cohen's piano course is built for people who have never touched a keyboard and want to understand what they are playing, not just copy it. It runs about 25 hours across 241 lectures in seven sections: scales, chords, other chords, playing by ear, reading music and improvising. The scales section alone is 90 lectures, so this is a structured, theory-backed route rather than a song-of-the-week app. Over 52,000 students have enrolled, and it holds a 4.8 rating from about 5,800 reviews.
Reviewers keep coming back to the explanations. Newer students say the lessons are clear, well organized and easy to follow, with enough on-screen visuals to keep up as a beginner. One says they feel secure learning this way, and another, who last took lessons as a child decades ago, likes what they see. Complaints are mild. One person found downloading mp3 files inconvenient, and another called it not so good but not bad. About 71 percent of ratings are five stars, and under 2 percent are one or two stars.
The age of the material is the thing to check. The last update was November 2023, and the big playing by ear section was added in April 2021, so it is not brand new, though basic piano theory does not date quickly. You need a real piano or keyboard and a metronome app. At roughly 25 hours it asks for patience, especially in the scales section. For a beginner who wants a steady, thorough foundation, it is an easy recommendation.
Pros
- Clear, well organized explanations with on-screen visuals that beginners say are easy to follow
- Covers scales, chords, reading music, playing by ear and improvising in one 25-hour course
- Two free ebooks on scales, chords and music theory work as a handy reference
- Play-along band tracks and songs from an early stage keep practice enjoyable
Cons
- Some material has to be downloaded as mp3s, which one reviewer found inconvenient
- Last updated November 2023, so it is not the freshest option available
- The scales section alone runs about 8 hours, which tests a beginner's patience
It's really easy to follow along as a beginner because he explains concepts clearly with enough visual aid.
Suits true beginners: the requirements say no music knowledge is needed, only a piano or keyboard and a metronome app.
What you will learn
- Complete beginners will be taken to an intermediate (or even higher) level of piano playing with a thorough understanding of music theory.
- You will master all the chords on the piano that will allow you to play all the songs you want.
- You will know how to play any song by ear by just listening attentively, then deriving chords and melody.
- You will know how to read music, so that you can play from lead sheets, chord sheets and sheet music.
- You will start to improvise using the pentatonic and blues scales.
Course content
7 sections · 241 lectures · 25 hours of video 8 quizzes, 36 articles
- 1Introduction 5 free previews17 lectures · 1 quiz · 1.1 hours
- 2Scales 7 free previews90 lectures · 2 quizzes · 8.2 hours
- 3Chords 2 free previews57 lectures · 4 quizzes · 6.3 hours
- 4Other Chords7 lectures · 45 min
- 5Playing by Ear18 lectures · 2.5 hours
- 6Reading music 2 free previews29 lectures · 1 quiz · 4.7 hours
- 7Improvising 1 free preview23 lectures · 1.9 hours
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- This course is for anyone who wants to start to play the piano: to play songs, read from lead sheets, chord sheets and sheet music, start to improvise and obtain a good understanding of music (theory).
What you need before you start
- A piano or electronic keyboard
- A metronome (downloadable for free on smartphones)
- No need for any knowledge of music nor skills at the piano.
How it compares
Against the other 45 rated Udemy courses in Piano on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.8 out of 5higher than 82% of them
- Reviews5,795#1 of 46 by number of reviews
- Length25.4 hourslonger than 97% of them
- Last updatedNovember 2023more recently than 68% of them
Course Description
NOW WITH 2 FREE EBOOKS:
- ALL THE SCALES AND CHORDS IN ALL INVERSIONS WITH FINGER POSITIONS (110 PAGES!)
No other online piano course offers such a detailed and complete overview of scales and chords.
With the clickable index, you’re never more than only one click away from the piano chord or scale you were looking for.
- MUSIC THEORY AND READING MUSIC (84 PAGES!)
Great reference book beside the explanations already given in the course, that gives you the possibility to repeat the theory at your ease or (even if you’re not online) to quickly consult your eBook if you have a question about music theory/reading notes.
***UPDATE APRIL 2021. NEW SECTION ADDED: PLAYING BY EAR***
(This new section could actually be a whole course on its own, but is just included in this piano course!)
You want to play your favorite song by ear, without having sheet music, chords or melody?
After this new 2.5-hour section you will be able to sit at the piano and play any song, just by listening attentively, derive chords and melody and then play the song, by ear!
Surprise everyone playing any song on the piano with this amazing technique!
THE ONLINE PIANO COURSE THAT HELPED 1000'S OF PEOPLE TO FINALLY PLAY SONGS ON THE PIANO, TO READ MUSIC AND TO IMPROVISE
The way the course is created, with lots of songs and easy explanations of every detail, means that you will advance rapidly every day.
VERY QUICKLY, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY YOUR FIRST SONGS ON THE PIANO OR KEYBOARD
At a very early stage, you will already apply what you’ve learned and start playing songs. First playing the melody with your right hand, later also adding your left hand.
And what makes it a real pleasure to practice, is that you play a song together with a band that accompanies you while you are playing on your piano or electronic keyboard.
This is what others say about the course:
***
This piano course is extremely educational and highly entertaining as well. For beginners specially, Mr. Cohen didn't raise the bar of excellence, he is the bar simply put. His lectures will start you from know nothing into craving to learn more and highly addictive too. If you are searching over and over to find the right piano lesson for you, your search is over. You found the learning center. Cheers (Rolando Marucut)
***
This is exactly the course I was looking for. I love piano music since I was a kid, however I never had the opportunity to learn. I am a total beginner, I love the way the teacher explains and shows the most important and key things in order to move forward in any lesson. My dream is closer. Thank you so much! (Daniel Madrid Sanchez)
***
WOW! This is an amazing course. Thank you very much. Highly recommended. (Stefano Buiaroni)
***
I really liked the way the course was created, with lots of songs, advices, quizzes. It was a challenge, but with perseverance and with a lot of exercises the results appeared. I think the most pleasant moments were when I played the songs from the course, but by far I think it was when I managed to control both hands independently. It was like a revelation. Now I have the needed tools: scales, chords, improvisation techniques, the rest depends on me, a lot of exercises. (Csizmadia Miklos)
***
LEARN PIANO IN A FUN WAY, NOT BY ONLY ENDLESSLY RUNNING UP & DOWN THE SCALES
In order to play the piano or keyboard well, you have to practice scales. But only endlessly going up & down the scales is not very fun way of learning the piano or keyboard, that’s why in this course you practice the scales in songs that contain just the notes of that particular scale.
And of course, the band will accompany you in all the songs.
This makes practicing the scales a pleasure!
TRY THIS ONLINE PIANO COURSE WITHOUT ANY RISK.
If you’re still not sure, why not just give it a try? It’s without any risk: if for whatever reason this is not the course for you, you can get a full refund within 30 days after purchase.
So, there’s no need to wait any longer: just hit that ‘enroll’ button and get access to 24 hours of video, interactive music theory exercises and to two amazing BONUSSES: a 110-page eBook with all the scales and chords in all the inversions with finger positions, an 84-page eBook with the whole music theory and how to read notes, as well as plenty of other resources (play-along files in different tempos, PDF files with sheet music for every song, …).
It only takes you one click to have access to ALL of this.
Still not convinced?
Just have a look at the promo video and the free preview videos to have an idea of how I teach, and also have a look at the course curriculum.
COURSE CHARACTERISTICS
You will apply the theory and skills learned during the lectures in songs that you will play together with a band (play-along mp3 files and MIDI files included). In this way, practicing the notes in the scales becomes a pleasure!
Lots of practice files (mp3 and MIDI) in all 12 keys and in several tempos included
Two eBooks included for FREE:
- “Basic scales and chords”: with ALL the scales and chords in all inversions with finger positions (110 pages!) with clickable index that leads you directly to the scale or chord you were looking for.
- “Music theory and music reading”: with the whole music theory and how to read notes (84 pages) that can be used as a handy reference book beside the course.
More than 450 downloadable resources! (more than any other piano course)
Clear explanations by an experienced teacher (more than 25 years of teaching experience)
Apart from the introduction section , the course consists of 6 main sections, each with a lot of lectures that will help you to advance in a steady way. The 6 main sections are:
Scales
Piano chords
Other chords
Playing by ear
Reading music
Improvisation
SOME OF THE TOPICS COVERED IN THIS COURSE
Major scales in all 12 keys
Minor scales in all 12 keys
Transposing songs in other keys
Lots of songs to practice the notes of the scales
Instructor Details
- 4.8 Rating
5,795 Reviews
Martin Cohen
Martin Cohen is since about 25 years a teacher of physics, mathematics and informatics.
At the moment, he teaches at the European School in Luxembourg.
Martin is originally from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
He is a passionate musician and composer. Since the age of 8 years, he plays the piano.
He played in several rock, blues and jazz bands and he has at the moment a jazz trio.
He also teaches the piano, music theory and composing techniques.
Martin has a masters degree in physics from the Free University in Amsterdam.
UPDATE (summer 2019):
Martin quit his day job as a school teacher to concentrate for the full 100% on online music teaching.
More courses by Martin Cohen
The Ultimate Blues Piano Course - Blues Piano for Everyone (2021)
4.7 (247 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 20.4h
$10.99
Jazz Piano Chords - Rich Sounding Jazz Chords for the Piano (2021)
4.7 (174 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 3.2h
$64.99
MuseScore-FREE music notation software-Full course (2021)
4.7 (161 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 4.4h
$64.99
More Piano courses
Pianoforall - 'Classics By Ear' - Erik Satie (2018)
4.9 (1,303 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 4.1h
$11.99
Pianoforall - 'Classics By Ear' - Moonlight Sonata (2022)
4.9 (935 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 3.9h
$10.99
Pianoforall - 'Classics By Ear' - Bach Preludes (2020)
4.9 (580 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 4.7h
$10.99
Blues Piano Lessons! A Course In Blues Piano & Improvisation (2025)
4.8 (1,038 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 4.2h
$13.99
The Heavenly Piano Masterclass - Piano Improvisation Mastery (2020)
4.8 (830 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 5.6h
$15.99
Reviews
By Jacob on 8/14/2026
I really appreciate and enjoy the way the instructor organizes and expresses his thoughts. I find it very easy to understand and assimilate. I feel secure in this learning environment.
By Douglas Batey on 7/2/2026
I really enjoyed this piano course. It was a lot of fun going through the lessons and the instructor did an amazing job. I have a lot better understanding of the keyboard now and understand more about music theory and scales. My playing is so much better now. Thank you for the great lessons.
By Sanjay Srivastava on 6/20/2026
Yes, I am following the course with the instructor and grasping it. I hope there is theory about music too as the course progresses.
By Asabe Ojodomo Salihu on 6/14/2026
It was organized and well planned. I really liked his teaching style and his lessons were very easy too understand.
By Roxana González on 6/5/2026
I love the way you explain everything, very detailed and clear.. Thank you for sharing the extra material or resources, I can´t wait to start with it! Than you! Satnam, namaste.
By Alex Omosikume on 5/6/2026
It has got everything you need to learn the basics to intermediate level of the piano keyboard. Really loving it so far.
By Linda Denise Trump on 5/5/2026
This is an amazing course for a beginner learning to play piano/keyboard and also learning to read music. It is broken down into easily understood chunks of information, with a plethora of resources included. Brilliant!
By Charlie Fields on 4/11/2026
it's informative I like that you try to explain how to operate the computer. My computer is very diminished. I would learn better a present teacher
By Ratish on 2/5/2026
I like the course and definitely recommend. I was searching exactly same course. If anyone wants to learn piano, must go for it.
By Guy Nepotschelowitsch on 12/28/2025
Mr Martin Cohen donne envie d'apprendre, dès les premières leçons il fait découvrir certains doigtés et toutes ses explications sont sensées et crédibles. Je suis au début du cours et je prend confiance dans cet apprentissage. Je recommande très sincèrement
Quality Score
No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.
Overall Score : 96 / 100









