Beginner piece
How to play Happy Birthday to You on piano
The tune began as "Good Morning to All" by the sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill in 1893. It is in three beats to the bar, so the feel is a gentle sway, not a march.
- Composer
- Patty and Mildred J. Hill (melody)
- Level
- Beginner
- Key
- C major or G major in most beginner books
- Time signature
- 3/4
- Hands
- Right hand, then both
What makes it tricky
- The pickup note. The song starts before the first full bar, so the first note is short and leads in.
- The big jump up on the third line. Prepare it by looking ahead as you finish the previous phrase.
- Counting three beats. Tap one-two-three on your knee before you start.
A three-step practice plan
- Count the bar out loud, 1 2 3, and tap the rhythm on your knee.
- Play each line separately, then put them together.
- Add the left hand for the first line, then the rest.