You Are My Sunshine – Piano Tutorial with Letter Notes

Want to learn how to play the notes from You Are My Sunshine on the piano? Then you’ve come to the right place!

This famous country tune was first recorded by American singer-songwriter Jimmie Davis in 1939.

This classic of American country music has since been covered many times by other artists, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Johnny Cash. It is therefore one of the most popular songs of all time in this musical genre.

In this article, we’re going to learn how to play the notes of You Are My Sunshine on the piano. We’ll start by looking at the notes to be played with the right hand, followed by those to be played with the left. Finally, we’ll teach you how to play the song with both hands at the same time on your keyboard.

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

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

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.

You Are My Sunshine on the piano: finding your way around the keyboard

We’re going to start by going over the basics of learning to play the piano. Do you already know your way around a piano keyboard? If so, you can go straight on 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 keys on the piano 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 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 practise recognising these notes on the keyboard. Once you feel comfortable with this exercise, it will make it easier to learn via our guide to playing the song You Are My Sunshine on the piano.

You Are My Sunshine : playing the notes with the right hand

Where to start?

Now that you know your way around a piano keyboard, we’re going to get to the heart of the matter by looking at 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 C :

The notes of the right hand

Have you found your C 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:

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

By playing this sequence of notes, you get the whole melody of You Are My Sunshine on the piano, performed with your right hand.

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

Video tutorial

What better way to learn than to follow a live video tutorial showing you which notes to play with your right hand to recreate the melody of the song? Watch our filmed tutorial and press the keys on the keyboard as the corresponding notes appear on the screen:

Video tutorial of the notes to play with the right hand for the song You Are My Sunshine

You now know how to play the right hand of this legendary country song, well done!

Now we’ll move on to the left hand.

Play the notes ofYou Are My Sunshine 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.

You Are My Sunshine playing the notes with the left hand

Where to start?

On the keyboard, your left hand is usually responsible for playing the accompanying chords, while the right hand takes charge of the melody line. The left hand adds depth and texture to your musical interpretation.

Let’s continue by using a method similar to that used for the right hand to locate the first note to be played with the left hand. This is also C, but an octave lower than the note played by the right hand:

The notes of the left hand

Have you successfully located the C corresponding to the appropriate octave on your keyboard? Excellent!

As we’ve done with the right hand, it’s time to tackle the notes played by the left hand using the bass clef.

Play the following notes in sequence:

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

To recreate the musical arrangement of You Are My Sunshine, play these notes with your left hand on the keyboard.

As with the right hand, we advise you to practise this sequence of notes in continuous repetition until you feel completely confident. By the end of your exercises, your performance should be fluid.

Video tutorial

Of course, we’ve also created an instructional video detailing all the notes your left hand needs to play for this must-have country track. Pay close attention to each note, and press the corresponding keys at the right moment to reproduce the bass clef accompaniment precisely.

Video tutorial of the left hand notes for the song You Are My Sunshine

Play the notes of You Are My Sunshine 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.

Well done! You’ve now mastered the skills needed to play the treble and bass parts of You Are My Sunshine on the keyboard!

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

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

You Are My Sunshine on the piano: play the song with both hands

Advice

Learning to play with both hands is an essential milestone for anyone starting out on the piano. Keep your cool and remember that initial hesitations in hand coordination are quite normal.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Challenges at this stage are always emotionally complicated, but once overcome, the sense of self-satisfaction will be immense.

Start modestly, without aiming too high from the outset. Aspiring to perform a two-handed piece in half an hour can only lead to annoyance and even demotivation. The piano must remain a source of happiness. The more you enjoy playing and learning, the faster you’ll progress.

It’s not uncommon to take several weeks to completely master a new piece. But once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to play your favorite song with ease. By dint of repetition, you’ll have integrated it so well that you’ll be able to play it from memory, without even needing support (such as following a score, for example, as we recommend with our learning tool La Touche Musicale).

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

Start by focusing on the melody with the right hand during this short interval, playing it several times. Then move on to the accompaniment with the left hand. When you’re comfortable with each hand separately for this fragment, try to synchronize them.

Once you’ve mastered one segment, move on to the next, and continue following this strategy. When you feel ready, start putting the different segments together. By adopting this gradual approach, you’ll eventually be able to play the whole piece.

This gradual learning rhythm will enable you to enjoy your progress at every step. As you practice, the task will seem simpler and simpler.

Video tutorial

Take a look at this comprehensive video guide that will introduce you to two-handed playing techniques for the piano piece You Are My Sunshine.

Know that constant effort and practice are necessary, but have faith in your talent. Be aware of rhythmic fluctuations and ensure perfect harmony between your hands.

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

If you feel the need to slow down, you can always pause the video when the notes appear on the screen, giving you the opportunity to adjust the position of your fingers on the keyboard for precise playing.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to adjust your movements while letting the music play, you’ll be pleased to know that these videos are taken from our La Touche Musicale app.

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 the musical notes (such as C, D, E, etc.) on a scrolling screen, as demonstrated in these videos. We suggest you use this function as a complementary teaching tool to this online guide.

With a wide range of tunes spanning various genres and levels of difficulty, we think our app can really enrich your musical journey. So, are you ready to explore?

Video tutorial to play the notes of both hands of the song You Are My Sunshine on the piano.