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The Ultimate Piano Chords Course - for Piano & Keyboard (Udemy.com)

Learn piano the easy way! Play your favourite songs & even SING along, with this simple & thorough guide to piano chords

Created by: Arthur Bird

Last updated November 2025

Our take

Based on the ratings of 2,770 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in November 2025. No course pays to be reviewed.

Arthur Bird's chord course teaches piano the lead-sheet way. Instead of reading notation, you learn how chords are built, then use them with rhythms and playing patterns on pop songs. It runs 9.4 hours over 143 lectures, and the syllabus climbs from major and minor chords through sevenths, 9ths and 11ths, slash chords, passing chords and the circle of fifths. A bonus improvisation section adds another 31 lectures. It is aimed at beginners, and the audience list leans toward singers, band keyboardists and songwriters.

Reviewers are warm about the teaching. They describe a clear, engaging teacher who keeps lessons fun, and several say they feel real progress with each lesson. One reviewer calls it a good starting point for pop songs with minimal music reading. The complaints are small. One student says the difficulty rises quickly, and a non-native English speaker found the talking speed brisk, though playback speed can be changed. Another reviewer found it too long for someone in a hurry. Only 32 of 2,770 ratings are one or two stars.

Next to the broader beginner piano courses on its page, this one is narrower in focus. It leans on songs and chords rather than note reading, and there are no quizzes, so practice is self-directed. The 40-minute basics section can be skipped by anyone who already knows the keys. The course was last updated in November 2025, which is recent. For beginners who want to sing along or play with others, it looks like a safe pick. Anyone after classical reading skills should look elsewhere.

Best forSingers and would-be band keyboardists who want to play pop songs from chord sheets without reading notation.
Skip it ifYou want to read sheet music or learn classical technique, or you only have a few spare hours.

Pros

  • Teaches how chords are built, then applies them to songs by Adele, Coldplay and The Beatles
  • Shows how to print any song for free and transpose it to suit a vocal range
  • Bonus improvisation section adds 31 lectures and about 99 minutes of playing
  • Reviewers call the teaching clear, engaging and easy to follow

Cons

  • One reviewer says the difficulty level rises quite quickly as the course goes on
  • At 9.4 hours it is a long haul for anyone wanting fast results
  • No quizzes or graded exercises, so checking progress is up to the learner
There is minimal music reading to learn, everything is explained step-by-step and thoroughly and there are a bunch of pop songs you can learn to play. A fun course.
Gary Sze, a student

Listed for all levels, but it starts from zero and only asks for a piano or keyboard, no note reading.

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What you will learn

  • You will be able to pick up any chord sheet, play along and sound great.
  • By using the techniques in the course, you'll be able to sound like an advanced piano player without reading any musical notes at all.
  • Learn about Major, Minor, Slash, 7, 9, Suspended, Add, Diminished, Augmented Chords, Passing Chords and much more.
  • Singers will be able to accompany themselves, and learn how to transpose a song into different keys to suit their vocal range.
  • You'll learn a wide variety of rhythms, playing techniques and patterns that can be applied to chords.
  • Learn popular songs by Adele, The Beatles, Coldplay, The Commodores, Josh Groban, Alicia Keys, The Greatest Showman and many more.
  • Have fun creating your own music with the BONUS improvisation section.

Course content

12 sections · 143 lectures · 9.4 hours of video 24 articles

  1. 1Welcome 1 free preview3 lectures · 1 min
  2. 2The Piano Basics - Skip This Section If You Already Know 4 free previews9 lectures · 40 min
  3. 3It's Time to Play 3 free previews8 lectures · 37 min
  4. 4Taking Chords to the Next Level13 lectures · 54 min
  5. 5Let's Up The Game Again 2 free previews17 lectures · 1 hour
  6. 6Intermediate - You've levelled up again!25 lectures · 1.5 hours
  7. 7Broken Chord Patterns, 9 & 11 Chords & Rock Rhythms10 lectures · 45 min
  8. 8Advanced Chord Patterns & Techniques6 lectures · 43 min
  9. 9Extra Skills & Knowledge4 lectures · 20 min
  10. 10(NEW)The Circle of Fifths, Suspensions & Passing Chords15 lectures · 1.2 hours

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Complete beginners, or anyone wanting to expand their current knowledge on chords and following chord sheets.
  • Singers wanting to be able to accompany themselves on the piano.
  • Anyone wanting to be able to play rhythm piano/keyboard in a band.
  • Singer Songwriters wanting to understand more about chords.
  • Anyone wanting to be able to accompany singers on the piano.

What you need before you start

  • No previous experience required. A piano/keyboard is all you need.

How it compares

Against the other 45 rated Udemy courses in Piano on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 35% of them
  • Reviews2,770#2 of 46 by number of reviews
  • Length9.4 hourslonger than 82% of them
  • Last updatedNovember 2025more recently than 82% of them

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Course Description

The Ultimate Piano Chord Course will give you the skills to be able to play thousands of songs.

Most songs are written using chords, so if you understand how to use them properly, you'll be able to play a vast amount of songs by just reading simple chord symbols. You don't need to be able to read music notation in order to play great songs!

This course is for beginners on the Piano, and so starts with the basics, but quickly moves onto learning about the different kinds of chords and how they are constructed, gradually getting more and more advanced as you progress. You don't just learn about chords though. Along the way you will learn about different kinds of rhythms, playing patterns and techniques that can be applied to the chords. By the end you'll be able to play the piano by reading a chord sheet, but sound like a pro!

I believe the best way to learn is by applying your new found knowledge, and so throughout the course you will learn famous songs or chord progressions on the Piano, relevant to the particular chord/rhythm or playing pattern you've just been learning. The course uses examples from songs by a wide variety of artists such as Adele, Sam Smith, The Commodores, Christina Perri, John Legend and Don McLean to name a few.

If you're a singer, by the end of this course you'll be able to pick up and play any piece of music or chord sheet and play piano by following the chord symbols. All you need to do is sing along. I even show you how to print off any song of your choice online for free, as well as showing you how to change the key so it suits your vocal range.

The same goes with anyone wanting to accompany other singers on piano, or people wanting to play Keyboard in a band. This course will give you the skills and understanding to be able to play Piano along with other people.

If you're a songwriter, you'll find that your understanding of chords and playing techniques will be so much greater, and so you'll be able to use what you've learnt to write songs with much more variety and musicianship and freedom.

Even if you just want to enjoy playing the Piano/Keyboard for yourself at home, by the end you'll be able to play a selection of famous songs, and have the skills and ability to print off your own favourite songs and play them by just following the piano chord symbols.

Supporting PDF's

The course also includes PDF's of important chord building info and playing techniques that you can print off and set on your piano/keyboard, which will make it easy to refer to when you start choosing and learning your own favourite songs.

So enroll today, and learn piano the easy way!


This course includes a download of "The Piano Chords eBook for Beginners". This handy guide has 25 pages packed with information on chords, as well as illustrated chord reference charts that serve as a quick and easy reference for anyone wanting to learn about piano chords.

NEW UPDATE - This course also includes a BONUS SECTION on improvisation. Throughout the 30 additional lessons you will learn how you can use your new knowledge of chords to get started improvising with help from a variety of techniques, rhythmic patterns and progressions along the way. You will also get the chance to explore melodies with the use of scales and harmony. By the end of this extra "mini-course" you will have the tools to be able to have fun improvising your own music on the piano!

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Instructor Details

Arthur Bird

Hi, I'm Arthur and I've been playing the piano for over 25 years. After achieving Grade 8 with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, I started touring as a session player in theatre shows all over the United Kingdom. As well as this I have lots of experience in recording studios, and with bands have played music all over the world, from the USA, Scandinavia to Australia. I've been teaching piano for over 15 years now, and I'm also an approved tutor with the City of York Arts Council.

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Reviews

4.6

2,770 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Vache N. on 7/14/2026

This is an excellent course. I've been learning piano for many years without feeling like I'm making much progress. I've learned so much with Arthur Bird's piano courses. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn piano and have fun while doing it.

By Dominik Myszkowski on 12/21/2025

Arthur is a great teacher, I can really recommend all his courses on Udemy. He makes learning process very interesting and exciting, definitely not dull. That makes the progress faster, as You have more energy to practice. This course on chords in particular is damn important and I suggest taking it first before focusing on some genre.

By Amira Shalaby on 10/31/2025

Because I don't have time for long courses. I wished to learn piano faster

By Maya Lanz on 10/16/2025

Sehr gut erklärt und gut aufgebaut. Obwohl ich schon lange Klavier spiele, kann ich noch einiges lernen. Die Sprechgeschwindigkeit ist etwas schnell, aber das liegt wohl daran, dass Englisch nicht meine Mutterprache ist. Das Tempo kann ich ja manuell einstellen.

By Gary Sze on 8/4/2025

If you want to learn the chord method of playing piano to play some pop songs, this is probably a good place to start. There is minimal music reading to learn, everything is explained step-by-step and thoroughly and there are a bunch of pop songs you can learn to play. A fun course.

By J J on 12/2/2024

excellent course only half way through which is great goes step by step and clears up lots of missing chord info in the brain that missed . Highest recommendation for late beginners and early intermediates and anyone else to pick and choose. Also he is FUN.

By Yitleal Wondmagegne on 12/24/2022

I appreciate it because it helps me a lot. when I was searching on YouTube about playing piano, I found more videos but I could not realize which part I have to start. on your course I find so many important tips about piano lessons, and it moves me forward.

By Ester Steyn on 12/20/2020

Good explanations, good speaker.

By Florencia on 12/20/2020

Im liking this course so far. It is helping me out a lot

By Heriberto Perez on 12/20/2020

very well explained. Simple and to the point.

By Brennan Gervasi on 12/13/2020

Blown away already. My mind usually scrambles at the site of a key bed and now it seems so simple. Thank you. Wow!

By Astrid Schippers on 11/20/2020

finally learning tot play chords without a very clear explanation.

Showing 12 of 274 reviews

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Overall Score : 92 / 100