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Play Pop Piano in E

Learn Chords, Theory & Improv Basics

Joellyn Andrews

4.7

Based on 12 ratings

Joellyn Andrews

If you’ve tried tutorials, sheet music, or apps and still feel like piano doesn’t quite click, you’re not alone—and this course is designed for you.

Play Smarter in E teaches real skills through four great pop songs, all in the same key of E. You’ll build your confidence with short video lessons and six printable worksheets that break down rhythm, hone note reading, build chords, and give improvisation help in a way that feels simple and intuitive.

You’ll learn to:

If you’ve tried tutorials, sheet music, or apps and still feel like piano doesn’t quite click, you’re not alone—and this course is designed for you.

You’ll learn to:

Read music in context (not in isolation)
Keep a steady rhythm using tools like the rhythm ruler and beat builder
Build and use chords that sound good right away
Improvise with confidence using creative patterns and functions.
Understand what you’re playing instead of just memorizing

This course isn’t linear—you don’t have to “pass” one video to get to the next. You can start with the song or concept that interests you most and mix things up as you go.

Whether you’ve had a few lessons, learned on your own, or just want a fresh start, this course gives you the foundation to sound like a real musician—not just someone chasing tutorials.

No pressure. No guilt. Just progress you can feel. Looking forward to seeing you.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

How to play and understand four pop songs using real musicianship skills—not just memorization.
How to build rhythmic patterns and play riffs that sound natural and confident.

How to recognize and play chord progressions by ear, and create basic accompaniments.
How to recognize how music is structured, and use that knowledge to improvise creatively within a key.

How to play and understand four pop songs using real musicianship skills—not just memorization.
How to build rhythmic patterns and play riffs that sound natural and confident.
How to recognize and play chord progressions by ear, and create basic accompaniments.
How to recognize how music is structured, and use that knowledge to improvise creatively within a key.

Syllabus

Introduction

Welcome! If you’ve tried tutorials, apps, or sheet music and still felt stuck, you’re in the right place. This course is designed for piano dabblers who want to finally understand how music works—without getting overwhelmed. You’ll learn 4 pop songs in one key, using videos and worksheets that build rhythm, creativity, and note reading skills together. Start wherever you like, and I’ll guide you every step of the way.

Before we start playing, this quick activity trains your ears to catch key musical moments. Use the worksheet and playlist to notice vocals, instruments, and patterns—so the songs live in your head before your hands hit the keys. ??

This video shows how to use your worksheet to play along with any of the four songs—no need to master the full tutorial first. You’ll learn a simple right-hand groove, easy improvising notes, and how to add left-hand harmony that sounds great right away.

Use My Heart Will Go On to build note reading skills—learn keyboard patterns, connect notes to lyrics, and create a cheat sheet that helps the melodies feel natural to play.

Explore how note distances shape emotion in Where Is My Mind—and how the lyrics support each musical function to create the song’s unique mood.

In this Rhythm Theory class, we break down a phrase from Don’t Stop Believin’ using a rhythm ruler, learn how quarter notes work, and follow the bass line with a steady 4-beat pulse.

In this Chord Theory class, we build chords from scratch, explore inversions, and use them to move smoothly through the Lovely Day progression.

Welcome to the Medley Jam—where we blend ideas from all 4 songs and play around with the patterns you’ve been learning. It’s not polished, it’s playful. Watch, copy, remix, and make it your own.

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Activities

Coming soon We're preparing activities for Play Pop Piano in E: Learn Chords, Theory & Improv Basics. These are activities you can do either before, during, or after a course.

Career center

Learners who complete Play Pop Piano in E: Learn Chords, Theory & Improv Basics will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Piano Instructor

A Piano Instructor guides students of all ages and levels in learning to play the piano. This role demands not only technical proficiency but also a deep understanding of music theory, rhythm, and improvisation. This course offers an excellent foundation, emphasizing how to read music in context, keep a steady rhythm using tools like the rhythm ruler, build and use chords effectively, and improvise with confidence. By learning to play pop songs and understand music structure, you will be well-equipped to teach these practical skills to others, helping them connect with music intuitively, much like the course's approach to making music click.

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Session Musician

A Session Musician performs instrumental parts for recordings, live performances, or other projects on a freelance basis. This career requires adaptability, strong sight reading or ear playing skills, and the ability to improvise and adapt quickly to various musical styles. This course, which focuses on learning chords, theory, and improvisation basics within the key of E, provides essential training. It builds confidence in playing rhythmic patterns, recognizing chord progressions by ear, and creating basic accompaniments, all critical skills for a session musician frequently called upon to contribute creative and functional parts to diverse musical arrangements.

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Band Keyboardist

A Band Keyboardist performs live or in studio with a musical group, providing harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic support. This role requires versatility, strong rhythmic precision, and the ability to improvise and interpret various musical styles. This course is instrumental in developing confidence with short video lessons and printable worksheets that break down rhythm, hone note reading, build chords, and give improvisation help. The practical experience of playing and improvising along to pop song tutorials, recognizing chord progressions, and creating riffs that sound natural and confident, directly prepares you for contributing to a band setting.

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Accompanist

An Accompanist provides musical support for singers, instrumentalists, choirs, or dancers during rehearsals and performances. This role demands excellent sight reading, the ability to follow a lead performer, and a solid understanding of harmony and rhythm. This course, "Play Pop Piano in E," directly supports this role, as it helps build chords, understand progressions, and keep a steady rhythm using tools like the rhythm ruler. The focus on creating basic accompaniments and understanding how music is structured will be invaluable for an accompanist, enabling you to provide sensitive and effective musical backing across various settings.

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Live Event Pianist

A Live Event Pianist performs at various functions, such as weddings, corporate events, and private parties, often playing a diverse repertoire of background or featured music. This role requires adaptability, professionalism, and the ability to improvise or adjust selections on the fly. This course helps build a foundation to sound like a real musician through learning chords, theory, and improvisation basics. The focus on understanding music structure, recognizing and playing chord progressions by ear, and creating basic accompaniments will enable you to confidently play a wide range of pop songs and adapt your performance to any live occasion, ensuring you can deliver progress you can feel.

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Songwriter

A Songwriter creates original musical compositions, including melodies, lyrics, and arrangements. This creative career heavily relies on an intuitive understanding of harmony, rhythm, and song structure that resonates with audiences. This course provides a strong foundation by teaching how to build and use chords that sound good, keep a steady rhythm, and improvise with confidence using creative patterns and functions. Learning to recognize how music is structured and developing the ability to create basic accompaniments, as taught through the pop songs in the key of E, directly supports the skills needed to compose engaging and memorable songs.

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Composer

A Composer creates original musical works for various ensembles, media, or solo performers. This highly creative role requires a deep understanding of music theory, harmony, counterpoint, and form. This course, "Play Pop Piano in E," helps build a foundational understanding of these elements by teaching how to build chords, explore inversions, understand rhythmic patterns, and recognize music structure. The specific focus on improvising creatively within a key and making variations of songs provides practical experience in developing musical ideas, which is essential for any aspiring composer looking to craft compelling and innovative pieces.

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Church Musician

A Church Musician provides musical accompaniment and leadership for religious services, often playing piano or organ. This role requires a strong understanding of harmony, the ability to lead congregational singing, and often improvisation skills for service music. The "Play Pop Piano in E" course offers significant training by teaching how to read music in context, keep a steady rhythm, build and use chords that sound good, and improvise with confidence. The focus on creating basic accompaniments and recognizing chord progressions by ear will be particularly beneficial for a church musician who often needs to adapt music quickly and provide a cohesive musical foundation.

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Music Producer

A Music Producer oversees and manages the production of a musical recording, guiding artists and shaping the overall sound and arrangement of songs. This career demands a comprehensive understanding of music theory, composition, rhythm, and how different musical elements interact. This course, by teaching how to build chords from scratch, explore inversions, and use them to move smoothly through progressions, provides foundational knowledge. Understanding how music is structured, recognizing rhythmic patterns, and improvising creatively equips a producer to effectively communicate with musicians and make informed decisions about arrangements and sonic textures.

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Music Arranger

A Music Arranger adapts existing musical compositions for different instruments, vocalists, or ensembles, often tailoring them for specific performances or recordings. This role requires an intricate understanding of harmony, voice leading, and instrumental capabilities. This course is directly pertinent, focusing on how to build chords from scratch, explore inversions, and use them to move smoothly through progressions. The ability to recognize how music is structured and improvise creatively within a key, as taught in this course, provides an arranger with the essential tools to thoughtfully reharmonize, orchestrate, and reconfigure musical pieces effectively, ensuring they sound good right away.

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Jingle Writer

A Jingle Writer composes short, catchy musical pieces for advertisements, often designed to be memorable and evoke specific emotions or brand associations. This specialized composing role requires a strong grasp of popular music aesthetics, melodic hooks, and rhythmic drive. This course, "Play Pop Piano in E," is especially pertinent as it teaches how to build chords that sound good right away, keep a steady rhythm using tools like the rhythm ruler, and improvise with confidence using creative patterns. The focus on understanding pop song structure and creating basic accompaniments directly applies to crafting effective and engaging jingles that stick in listeners' minds.

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Music Education Content Creator

A Music Education Content Creator develops instructional materials, online courses, tutorials, or apps to help others learn music. This role requires deep pedagogical insight into how students learn, coupled with strong musical knowledge. This course, specifically designed for those who found traditional methods "don't quite click," offers an exemplary model for intuitive learning. By experiencing its approach to reading music in context, using tools like the rhythm ruler and beat builder, and building chords directly within pop songs, a content creator acquires insights into effective teaching strategies and innovative ways to break down complex musical concepts.

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Music Therapist

A Music Therapist uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals in various clinical settings. This role typically requires an advanced degree. It demands strong musical proficiency, improvisation skills, and an understanding of music's therapeutic effects. This course, by teaching how to build chords, improvise with confidence using creative patterns, and recognize and play chord progressions by ear, helps build foundational musical skills. Understanding how note distances shape emotion and how music is structured may be valuable for adapting and utilizing music therapeutically.

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Musical Director

A Musical Director oversees all musical aspects of a production, such as a theatrical show, concert, or festival, including leading musicians, conducting, and often arranging music. This leadership role demands a comprehensive understanding of music theory, performance practice, and ensemble management. This course may help build a foundation by teaching how to build and use chords, understand rhythmic patterns, and recognize how music is structured. The emphasis on improvisation and understanding how musical elements interact will be helpful for a musical director in communicating effectively with performers and shaping the overall sound of a production.

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Music Copyist

A Music Copyist transcribes musical compositions into notation for sheet music, ensuring accuracy and clarity for performers and publishers. This role requires meticulous attention to detail, a thorough understanding of music theory, and proficiency in music notation software. This course helps build a foundation in reading music in context, understanding rhythmic patterns using tools like the rhythm ruler, and comprehending how chords are built and used. This fundamental knowledge of music structure and notation, developed by learning to play and understand pop songs, is directly applicable and may be helpful for a music copyist in accurately representing musical ideas on paper.

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Reading list

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