Access our online piano courses with a My Piano Method Subscription, which will teach you to play with both hands and how to read sheet music. Perfect for beginners, or rusty players that haven't touched a piano for a while!
You can purchase these courses separately for $149 or sign up to an MPM subscription for access to both of them along with our Chord Jammer and Blues courses.
Make the most of our August 50% off special offer, with discount code AUGUST-50
Beginner to grade
...is our signature piano course for beginners who want to read music and learn to play the piano with confidence
Michelle has created these two courses to teach you the fundamentals, which will form the backbone of your piano playing and give you the skill to confidently read music. Both courses are taught over 10 intensive online piano lessons, that you can learn at your own pace, or follow Michelle's guide to keep yourself accountable.
You can complete the Basics and go straight into learning your favourite songs in your own time, or you can move onto the Advanced course after this to level up.
The Basics course is for complete beginners and teaches you how to understand the notes on the stave, learn chords and scales, and play confidently with two hands. You'll learn 9 well-known songs over 10 intensive lessons.
In the Advanced course you'll learn more advanced techniques over 10 lessons, including improvisation with the Circle of Fifths, and understanding dynamics, articulation, rhythm and subdivision. All the tools to study and sit a graded exam!
Browse the piano lessons in both courses
Click on each course to see the inclusions and what you’ll learn.
It’s been over 20 years since my last piano lesson, but I’m already reading basic sheet music after a couple of My Piano Method modules! The course is simple to follow, and delivered in a way that helps build memory. I particularly love Michelle’s encouragement and tips to finding your creativity and making music your own - I can feel my inner Beethoven rising and I’ve only just started! Learning through online piano lessons has been really convenient and I'm achieving a lot more!
Renee M
It's easy to learn with our online piano lessons
Our Beginner to Grade courses will teach you the notes on the piano, how to read sheet music, and the theory behind all the symbols you’ll see on the sheet.
Being able to read music is a wonderful skill, and will allow you to learn any of your favourite songs, be it classical or pop, on the piano. After that it's just practice!
We’ve made this course easy to follow with a specialised, visual teaching technique that will help you to retain everything you learn and use it in your playing.
Each course has the same style of value-packed online piano lessons. We start with scales, learn the subject of the lesson, and then apply what we’ve learned to the song.
Scales practice
To become a competent piano player, understanding scales is the key!
Apply what you’ve learned
We’ll take the skills you’ve learned in each lesson, and apply it to a well-known song.
Visual presentation
You’ll see what we’re going to learn in the lesson before we apply it to the piano.
Practice, practice, practice!
You’ll receive five daily practice worksheets to help you to retain what you’ve learned.
BONUS: Full Q&A support with Michelle
With an online self-paced course, there will often be questions that pop up along the way. Which is why Michelle is available over email (or on a zoom call for a small extra fee) so you can ask questions and get help if you’re stuck on something!
BONUS: Access to the Private Facebook Group
If you can't make the fortnightly Q&As, we've still got you covered for troubleshooting with our private facebook group. This is a wonderful supportive community, where Michelle is available for questions and troubleshooting, along with sharing extra tips and tricks!
Beginner to grade – Basics
Module 1
This module is perfect for complete beginners as we cover the 12 notes on the piano and playing with both hands together. What you’ll achieve in this module:
Find and play all 12 notes on sheet music
Learn to play using both hands using 5 well-known songs
Learn the first 2 Major scales, and an amazing formula to remember all 12 Major scales
Understand Octaves, note duration and rhythm, the elements of the music stave, half steps and whole steps and sharps and flats
>> Lesson 1:
Learn what an Octave is and how to find and play them on the piano. Learn your first mini scale consisting of 5 notes CDEFG. Learn how to play Beethovens ‘Ode to Joy’ in your right hand.
>> Lesson 2:
Learn the full C Major scale in your right hand. Learn about note duration and how to play whole notes, half notes and quarter notes from sheet music creating rhythm. Learn the left hand to Beethoven's ‘Ode to Joy’.
>> Lesson 3:
Learn the full C Major scale in your left hand. Learn all the elements of the Stave, what they mean and how to use them and learn your first 3 notes on sheet music, CDE. Learn a basic nursery rhyme by reading music using the 3 notes we learned CDE, ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’.
>> Lesson 4:
Learn how to play the C Major scale with both hands at the same time. Learn more notes on the stave, G in the bass clef through to G in the treble clef. Learn how to play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' by reading sheet music using these new notes, moving from your left hand to your right hand as you play.
>> Lesson 5:
Learn about half steps and whole steps on the piano. Learn about using sharps and flats, what they look like on sheet music and how to play them. Learn the rules about using accidentals in sheet music. Learn the Major Scale Formula which means you can find and play the Major scales for all 12 notes on the piano. Using the formula learn the G Major scale in the right hand. Learn how to play 'Jingle Bells' from reading sheet music. Playing different things with both hands at the same time, a real mile stone in any piano players journey.
Module 2
Moving on to more advanced piano techniques, in this module you'll learn the magic formula to find any major or minor chord from any note. What you’ll achieve in this module:
Learn 2 more Major scales
Learn about rests and how time signatures work, and how to count rhythm. Learn about harmonic and melodic intervals.
Learn the amazing technique to find any major and minor chord on the piano. Learn tricks to help remember more advanced notes on the stave.
Learn about subdivision and how to play 8th notes. Practice rhythm using 8th notes. Learn to play 5 more advanced songs, including the classic, 'Fur Elise'.
>> Lesson 6:
Learn the G Major scale in your left hand. Learn about rests on the stave and time signatures. Learn the most handy song on the piano to play, 'Happy Birthday', which is in a 3/4 time signature.
>> Lesson 7:
My favourite lesson: Learn how to play the G Major scale in both hands. Learn about melodic and harmonic intervals. Learn the Big/Small technique, which means you can play any major or minor chord on thepiano and opens the door to being able to play any song you cna find the chords to. Learn, 'For He's a Jolly Good fellow' from sheet music using chords in the left hand.
>> Lesson 8:
Learn the D Major scale in the right hand. Learn how to remember harder notes on the stave and learn about ledger lines and notes that are played off the stave. Learn how to play 'Amazing Grace' from sheet music using a broken chord technique in the left hand.
>> Lesson 9:
Learn to play the D Major scale in your left hand. Learn two articulation markings in music - legato and staccato - and how to play them. Learn 'Fur Elise' by Beethoven using legato in both hands.
>> Lesson 10:
Learn to play the D Major scale with both hands. Learn about subdividing notes, creating an 8th note. Learn how to count rhythm using 8th notes. Learn how to play, 'What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor', which uses 8th notes in the right hand and harmonic intervals in the left hand.
If you want to master the art of piano, a little goes a long way. Two minutes of practice today means you are already better than you were yesterday!
Ray Charles
Beginner to grade – Advanced
Module 3
It’s getting fun now, as we learn how to use chords to improvise and create your own songs using chord progressions and inversions. This is a great module to really see a change in your piano playing ability. Once you’ve completed this module, you’ll be ready to tackle the piano theory. What you’ll achieve in this module:
Learn about the Circle of Fifths, one of the major tools in creative piano
Understand Dynamics, dotted notes and key signatures
Learn a new major scale and the 3 different minor scale variations
Learn advanced songs like Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and Pachebel’s Canon
>> Lesson 11:
Learn the F Major scale hands separately and together. Learn how to use dotted notes and how to count rhythm using dotted notes. Learn how to play ‘Silent Night’ from sheet music, using dotted notes in the right hand and chords in the left hand.
>> Lesson 12:
Learn your first minor scale, the A Minor. Learn about dynamics in music, learn the dynamic symbols and how to implement them into our playing. Learn about changing dynamics in music. Learn a famous practice technique from Hanon. Learn a simplified version of Beethoven's '5th Symphony'.
>> Lesson 13:
Learn the harmonic and melodic minor versions of the A Minor scale and how to find these versions on other scales. Learn about how key signatures work and what the key signatures look like for all 12 Scales. Learn 'Canon in D', one of the most beautiful songs to play on the piano, using an arpeggio technique in your left hand and implementing chords with your right hand.
>> Lesson 14:
Learn the D Minor scale with both hands. Learn about chord inversions and progressions opening up a beautiful new chapter in your playing, giving you the tools to be able to create your own music and sound like a professional. Have a go at composing your own song using the tools you learn in the lesson.
>> Lesson 15:
Learn the D Minor harmonic and melodic minor versions. Learn one of the most useful tools in creative piano, the circle of fifths. Learn what the circle is and how to use it for many different cool things. Create your own song using the circle of fifths.
Module 4
If you’re serious about playing piano to an exam level, this is the module for you. If you’re happy with the basics you can stop here, but if you want to progress to a Grade 1 standard, we’ll work through the skills and theory in this module, along with how to tackle a Grade 1 piece of music. What you’ll achieve in this module:
Learn about tempo, articulation, upbeats and repeat signs
Learn about sight reading, improvisation and aural tests.
Learn how to tackle a full piece of Grade 1 standard classical music.
Learn about broken chords, arpeggios, chord voicings & contrary motion scales. Pick which exam board you would like to try and I will take you through everything you need to know and practice to be exam ready.
>> Lesson 16:
Learn the C Major and D Minor arpeggios in both hands. Learn about tempo markings and how to use them. Learn about repeat signs and practice spotting them and playing them. Learn 'Auld Lang Syne' from sheet music, using a complex harmonic rhythm with both hands.
>> Lesson 17:
Learn the C Major and A Minor broken chords in both hands. Learn more articulation markings and how to play them including a Fermata (pause), Accent and a Marcato. Learn how to affectively use the pedal in your playing. Learn 'Greensleeves' from sheet music using beautiful broken chords in your left hand and a more complex dotted rhythm in your right hand, all while using the pedal.
>> Lesson 18:
Learn C Major using contrary motion with both hands. Learn major and minor chord voicings. Tackle a full Grade 1 standard piece of music, ‘Minuet in G’.
>> Lesson 19:
Learn the extra elements that will be expected of you in a graded exam, including Sight reading exercises, Improvisation exercises, aural tests and melodic recall.
>> Lesson 20:
Depending on the musical direction you want to take your piano playing in, you have the option to select one of two paths:
Option One: ABRSM Classical Grade One Exam Summary. I take you through everything you will be expected to know when taking an ABRSM classical exam; What pieces of music you can choose from, the scales you will need to know and the aural tests. I will also show you how to apply and prepare.
Option Two: Rockschool Grade One; I take you through everything you will need to know when taking a Rockschool exam; What pieces of music you can choose from, the scales you will need to learn and the aural tests you will be tested on. I will also show you how to apply and prepare.
Not sure if learning piano online is for you?
Contact us today or head over and reach out on our social accounts to chat!
