Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Piano Tutorial with Letter Notes

Would you like to learn how to play the notes of the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow on the piano? You’ve come to the right place!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is an iconic song in American popular music, popularized by Judy Garland in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz”.

In 1990, the song was covered by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, better known as IZ, a Hawaiian singer renowned for his unique style of traditional Hawaiian music and reggae. His version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow has become one of the most popular covers of the song, with over 1.5 million downloads and millions of views on YouTube. IZ’s version is characterized by its simple, minimalist instrumentation, with only his voice and a ukulele accompanying the song. This minimalist approach enhances the song’s beauty and simplicity, allowing IZ’s voice to shine through and convey all the song’s emotion.

Ultimately, IZ’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a unique and touching interpretation of a beloved classic song.

By the end of this article, the aim is for you to know how to play this popular song perfectly on the piano.

Are you ready to take the plunge? Let’s start learning Somewhere Over The Rainbow on the piano!

Bonus : you can also learn to play this song at your own pace on our interactive piano learning app La Touche Musicale.

Free download: >> >> The guide to learn 10 easy piano pieces.

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Somewhere Over The Rainbow on the piano: finding your way around the keyboard

We’re going to start here by going over the basics of piano playing. Do you already know your way around a piano keyboard? If so, you can skip ahead to the next section. If not, we recommend that you take a close look at the following diagram:

In this graphic representation, you can distinguish the various piano keys and their correspondence with musical notes such as C, D and E.

If you look closely at the dark keys, you’ll notice that they are arranged in groups of two or three. This configuration helps you find your way around the keyboard.

To locate any note, always start by finding C, which is invariably located on the light key to the left of a group of two dark keys. Once you’ve identified C, it becomes much easier to locate the other notes, such as B, G and D.

We strongly advise you to practice recognizing these notes on the keyboard. Once you feel comfortable with this exercise, it will make it easier for you to learn via our guide to playing the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow on the piano.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow : playing the notes with the right hand

Where to start?

Now that you know your way around a piano keyboard, let’s get to the heart of the matter by discussing the notes to be played with the right hand.

Let’s start by identifying the first note to be played with this hand. It’s the note E :

The notes of the right hand

Found your E note? Perfect!

Now you know where to start. Now you can play all the following notes one by one with your right hand to reproduce the melody of the piece:

E – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – F – G – F – G – F – G – F – G – A – A – G – C – C – B – G – A – B – C – C – A – G – A – F – E – C – D – E – F – D – B – C – D – E – C – C – C – B – G – A – B – C – C – A – G – A – F – E – C – D – E – F – D – B – C – D – E – C – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – F – G – F – G – F – G – F – G – A – A – G – F – E – D – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – F# – A – F# – A – F# – A – F# – A – B – B – C – B – C – C – B – G – A – B – C – C – A – G – A – F – E – C – D – E – F – D – B – C – D – E – C – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – F – G – F – G – F – G – F – G – A – A – G – F – E – D – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – E – G – F – G – F – G – F – G – A – B – C – C – D – E – G – C.

By playing this sequence of notes, you get the entire Someone Over The Rainbow piano melody, performed with your right hand.

We recommend that you play these notes over and over to master this part perfectly.

Video tutorial

To make learning easier, we’ve produced a video showing you exactly which keys to press with your right hand to play the notes of the Somewhere Over The Rainbow melody perfectly on the piano. Watch our video tutorial and press the appropriate keys as the notes appear and reach the virtual keyboard.

Video tutorial of the notes to play with the right hand for the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Bravo, we’re sure you’ve perfectly realized the melody of this famous song with your right hand!

Now we move on to the sequence of notes to be played with your left hand.

La Touche Musicale app waits for you to play the right note with your right hand on your piano before moving on to the next one.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow playing the notes with the left hand

Where to start?

When playing the piano, it’s often said that the left hand creates the chords to build the musical base, while the right hand takes care of the melody. The left hand adds detail and a special touch to the piece, making it richer.

To choose the first key to play with your left hand, we’ll follow the same method as for the right hand. The first note your left hand will play on the piano is C.

The notes of the left hand

Congratulations! You’ve found the first note to play for the accompaniment. Now press the following notes in succession:

C – C + D – C + E – C + D – B + D – C – A – G – E – G – A# – A – F – E – F – G# – G – C# – F# – F – E – C – B – A – G – E – C – A# – A – G – F – E – F – G# – G – A – C# – F# – F – E – D – C – G – C – A – D – C – B – A – G – F – C – G – D# – C – E – D# – D – E – F – G – C – B – A – G – E – C – A# – A – G – F – E – F – G# – G – A – C# – F# – F – E – D – C – G – C – A – D – C – B – A – G – F – C – G – C – A – G – F – E – G – C.

This series of notes represents the entire accompaniment to the song performed with the left hand on the piano.

Once you’ve played this sequence a few times in succession and feel comfortable with it, you can move on to the next section of this article.

Video tutorial

We’ve also prepared a video detailing all the notes your left hand should play for the famous song Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Pay close attention as you watch each note, and press the corresponding keys at the right moment to reproduce the accompaniment part with precision. This video will guide you step by step through the chords and transitions, enabling you to fully master this part of the song.

Video tutorial of the left hand notes for the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow

The La Touche Musicale app waits for you to play the correct note with your left hand on your piano before moving on to the next.

Congratulations! You’ve now acquired the skills needed to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow on the keyboard!

Now it’s time to move on to the next step: harmonizing both hands to perform the piece in all its glory.

Get ready for this new phase. Are you ready? Then let’s get started!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow on the piano: play the song with both hands

Advice

Learning to coordinate both hands is an essential step for any piano novice. It’s crucial to stay calm and remember that initial difficulties with coordination are perfectly normal.

It’s important not to be too demanding on yourself. The challenges encountered at this stage can be emotionally difficult, but once overcome, personal satisfaction will be all the greater.

It’s advisable to start modestly, without setting over-ambitious goals from the outset. Aiming to play a two-handed piece in half an hour can often lead to frustration and even demotivation. The most important thing is to find pleasure in playing the piano.

It’s perfectly normal to take several weeks to fully master a new piece. But once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to play your favorite song with ease. With repeated practice, you’ll become so familiar with it that you’ll be able to play it from memory, without even consulting a score. That’s why we recommend our learning tool La Touche Musicale, which will be a great help.

Here’s a practical tip: divide the piece into smaller sections (e.g. 5 to 10 seconds).

Start by concentrating on the melody with the right hand for each short section, playing it several times. Then move on to the accompaniment with the left hand. When you feel comfortable with each hand separately for that section, try to synchronize them.

Once you’ve mastered one section, move on to the next using the same gradual approach. When you feel ready, start assembling the different sections. By following this gradual method, you’ll gradually be able to play the whole of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Video tutorial

Explore this comprehensive video guide, which will introduce you to two-handed piano playing techniques for Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Remember that regular practice and training are essential, but be confident in your talent. Pay attention to rhythmic variations and make sure your hands are perfectly in tune.

Sometimes you’ll need to strike certain notes simultaneously, while other times they’ll be played in succession.

If you feel the need to slow down, don’t hesitate to pause the video when the notes appear on the screen. This will give you the opportunity to adjust the position of your fingers on the keyboard for more precise playing.

If you prefer to adjust your movements while listening to the music, you’ll certainly appreciate the fact that these videos come from our La Touche Musicale application.

Our app offers a variety of interactive ways to play your favorite melodies, including an option where the song only progresses when you press the correct keys. What’s more, it displays note names on a scrolling screen, as demonstrated in these videos. We recommend that you use this function as a complementary tool to this online guide.

With a wide selection of tunes spanning different genres and levels of difficulty, we believe our app can really enrich your musical journey. Are you ready to explore?

Video tutorial to play the notes of both hands of the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow on the piano.