Would you like to learn to play the notes of the song Stand By Me on the piano? Let’s Go!
Stand By Me is a song by American singer Ben E. King. It was co-written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and released in 1961.
Ben E. King is known for his unique style blending soul, R&B and pop. Stand By Me is one of his most iconic songs, quickly becoming a worldwide hit.
Musical anecdote: One of the special features of this song is its instantly recognizable bass riff, which gives the track its distinctive character. This simple but effective bass line has been a source of inspiration for many musicians over the decades.
Now that you know a little more about the history of this song, let’s move on to learning its notes on the piano. Don’t worry, we’ll guide you step by step.
We’ll start by learning the notes to be played with the right hand, then the notes to be played with the left. We’ll finish by learning how to play both hands together. To make teaching easier, this article is made up of simple explanations, explanatory diagrams and video tutorials. You’ll even be able to download the sheet music for the song at the end.
By the time you’ve read through this entire article, you’ll be able to play the notes of this soul classic 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.
Learn to play your favorite songs on the piano
The La Touche Musicale learning app offers more than 2,500 songs to play easily on the piano. Connect your piano to your device and learn to play them at your own pace while having fun.
Before we start learning Stand By Me, let’s take a moment to review the basics of piano playing and familiarize ourselves with the keyboard. Here’s an illustration to help you along:
The name of the notes on a piano keyboard.
Take a moment to examine the diagram of the piano keyboard shown above. You’ll notice that the black keys follow a regular sequence: two notes, then three, followed by two again, and so on.
The first step is to locate the note C. To find C, concentrate on the groups of two black keys. The note C is always to the left of this group of two black keys. By pressing the white key immediately to the left of this group of two black keys, you’ll easily identify C!
Starting from this C, play all the notes of the octave with your right hand. Repeat with your left hand!
It’s essential to train yourself to recognize each note on the keyboard quickly. Then you’ll be ready to play the notes of the piece on the piano.
Excellent! You’ve successfully completed the first step in familiarizing yourself with the piano keyboard! Now let’s move on to learning the notes of the Stand By Me melody on the piano with your right hand.
To begin your progression, the first notes to play for this melody are F and A.
F and A are the first notes to be played with the right hand for the song Stand By Me on piano.
Congratulations! You’ve found the notes on the keyboard! You’ve got your starting point, ready to tame the notes of the Stand By Me melody on the piano with your right hand.
Now play the following notes one by one on your keyboard:
F + A – F + A – F + A – F + A – F + A – F + A – E + G – D + F – D + F – D + F – D + F – E + G – E + G – F + A – F + A – F + A – A – C – D – A – C – F + A – E + G – D + F – F – G – A – G – F – F – G – A – F – F – A – G – F – G – G – F – C + F – C + F – C + F – A – C – D – A – C – D – C – A# – A – G – F – G – A – A – G – F – F – A – G – F – F – A – G – A – G – F – F – C – D – C – F – E – D – C – D – C – D – A – F – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – C + F – A – C – D – A – C – F + A – E + G – D + F – F – G – A – G – F – F – G – A – F – F – A – G – F – G – G – F – C + F – C + F – C + F – A – C – D – A – C – D – C – A# – A – G – F – G – A – A – G – F – F – A – G – F – F – A – G – A – G – F – F – C – D – C – F – E – D – C – D – C – D – A – F – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – C + F – A – C – D – C – D – C – D – A – F – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – C – D – C – C – A – C – D – A – C – D – C – D – C – D – A – F – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – A – G – F – C – A – G – F.
Repeat this sequence of notes several times, using your right hand on the keys. The more you practice, the faster and more naturally you’ll find the notes, so you can concentrate on learning the rhythm!
Stand By Me on the piano: the notes of the right hand.
There’s nothing like a video to energize your learning! We highly recommend watching it, as this video tutorial will guide you precisely on which keys to play with your right hand to interpret the song’s melody in rhythm.
Follow the notes on the screen and press the corresponding keys as they appear on the virtual keyboard. Hold down the key for as long as the note remains in contact with the virtual keyboard key.
Come on, you can do it!
So, are you proud of yourself? You’ve managed to learn the melody of Stand By Me! There are just two main steps left before you can play the song in its entirety.
Can you tell the difference between the melody and the accompaniment? The melody is the main, melodic part of the music, usually played with the right hand on the piano. The accompaniment, on the other hand, is played with the left hand and forms the background to the music, with chords or repetitive sequences of notes played according to a specific rhythm.
We now invite you to move on to learning the notes of the Stand By Me piano accompaniment with the left hand!
Play the notes ofStand By Me with the right hand on an interactive app
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.
We’re going to follow the same learning method to play the notes on the piano with the left hand for Stand By Me. To begin with, here’s the starting note for the accompaniment:
The first note your left hand will play is an F.
F is the first note to be played with the left hand for the song Stand By Me on piano.
Now that you’ve located the note on the keyboard, let’s move on to the notes your left hand should play, just as we did for the right hand. Play these notes in the order specified to master the piano accompaniment to Stand By Me. And off you go!
F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – C – E – F – F – F – E – D – D – C – D – D – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – C – C – C – E – F – F – C – E – F.
It’s essential to practice this piece repeatedly until you feel completely at ease. The more you practice, the more you’ll be able to play these notes smoothly and without error. Remember, this is not a race, so don’t neglect this step!
Stand By Me on the piano: the notes of the left hand.
Here’s a video tutorial to help you manipulate the notes of this song with your left hand.
Watch the video carefully, identify each note and press the corresponding keys on your keyboard.
Take your time and practice regularly. If necessary, slow down the speed of the video to better assimilate the sequence of notes in the piano accompaniment to Stand By Me. Keep persevering and practicing with passion, you’re well on your way to mastering this captivating soul track!
Play the notes of Stand By Me with the left hand on an interactive app
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 successfully played the melody with your right hand and brilliantly accompanied the song Stand By Me on your keyboard with your left.
Now it’s time to synchronize both hands! Let’s get started!
A common challenge for piano beginners is hand coordination, i.e. the ability to play with both hands simultaneously on the keyboard.
This exercise can be difficult at first, as it requires rapid and precise coordination between the movements of both hands, which can be complex for the brain. It therefore takes a lot of practice to acquire fluency and ease.
To optimize your learning, we recommend dividing the piece into short sequences of a few seconds each. Avoid excessively long parts of 30 to 40 seconds, which can be too difficult to master at first. Start slowly with each short sequence, then gradually increase the pace as you gain confidence.
This gradual approach enables your brain to assimilate information efficiently, promoting lasting learning. The use of learning tools such as La Touche Musicale can also be beneficial in supporting your progress.
Stand By Me on the piano: the notes of both hands.
To boost your learning, our video tutorial is here to guide you in mastering the notes to be played with both hands simultaneously. You’ll then be able to interpret the melody and its accompaniment smoothly and harmoniously.
If you find that the speed of the notes is too fast, don’t hesitate to stop or slow down the video to take the time to position your fingers on the keyboard between each note.
To accompany you on this adventure, our interactive application La Touche Musicale can be an indispensable tool. It eliminates the need to stop the video manually, so you can concentrate on playing the notes. In learning mode, the application waits for you to play the right notes before moving on. It also lets you choose the version in which the notes are displayed: Latin or Anglo-Saxon.
Play the notes of Stand By Me with both hands on an interactive app
The La Touche Musicale app waits for you to play the right notes with both hands on your piano before moving on to the next.
Well done! You’ve done an excellent job! You’ve now mastered Stand By Me on the piano!
And if you’ve enjoyed this tutorial, we’ve got lots more in stock! Here are just a few:
Amazing! You’ve completed this tutorial brilliantly, and now you’re juggling the notes of Stand By Me on the piano with both hands! If you like a challenge, you’ll find the “Expert” version of this piano song on our La Touche Musicale app.
As promised from the outset, the score of Stand By Me in PDF format is now available.
We hope you enjoy this musical experience!
See you soon for new tracks!
Share the article on:
You might also like ...
Learn piano online with the songs you love
La Touche Musicale is an app that allows you to learn the piano online with interactive lessons. Connect your piano or keyboard via USB and learn over 2,500 songs easily.
Legal
