A Christmas at the Piano

This Christmas, Sit Down at the Piano and Play Again.

Five beloved carols, step by step — even if you haven't played in years. Ready by Christmas Eve, or your money back.

Start Learning — $97 Watch a Free Lesson

One-time payment · Lifetime access · PayPal accepted

Did you take piano lessons growing up?

Maybe it was every week after school. Maybe you played through high school, and then life got busy: work, kids, moves, everything else. The piano stayed. The playing stopped.

You don't need to start piano over. You just need to start playing again.

This course is made for adults in their 50s, 60s and 70s who played when they were younger and want to play the carols their family knows by heart this Christmas.

This is for you if:

  • You took lessons at some point, even just a few years
  • You haven't played in a long time and feel rusty
  • You'd love to play for your family this Christmas

Probably not for you if:

  • You want to learn advanced arrangements or a full piano method
  • You've never touched a piano and want to start from scratch with note-reading

Rusty is expected. Everything is taught slowly, one line at a time.

Watch the First Lesson. It Takes 45 Seconds.

Two left-hand shapes and the first line of Silent Night. See exactly how it's taught before you spend a dollar.

Captions are on, so you can watch without sound.

Start Learning — $97

Ready by Christmas Eve, or your money back. · PayPal accepted

Knowing a Song Isn't the Same as Playing for a Room

Every piano course teaches songs. None of them teach what happens on Christmas Eve, when everyone's gathered in the living room and someone says, "Does anyone play?"

Which song do you start with? What key can everyone actually sing in? How do you begin so people know when to join? What happens if you slip halfway through Silent Night? And what do you say when someone asks for a song you don't know?

The Christmas Eve Setlist answers all of it:

  1. The right order: open bright, close with Silent Night, lights low
  2. Keys people can sing in: one button on a digital piano
  3. Starting so the room joins in right on cue
  4. Ending cleanly, so everyone knows the song is over
  5. What to do when you slip. Never go back.
  6. Three easy lines for requests you can't play

Once the room starts singing, they carry the melody. Your left hand is the song. That's why a small slip doesn't matter.

Five Carols Everyone Knows

  1. No. 1

    Silent Night

    Your first song, playable by the end of your first weekend

  2. No. 2

    Away in a Manger

    The same three shapes, an easy second win

  3. No. 3

    Joy to the World

    The one everyone sings loudest

  4. No. 4

    O Come, All Ye Faithful

    Adds your fourth and final shape

  5. No. 5

    The First Noel

    Basically one tune three times

Start with Silent Night today. All five songs available by October 5.

Start Learning — $97

Ready by Christmas Eve, or your money back. · PayPal accepted

Short Lessons, 10–15 Minutes a Day

Four shapes, most of Christmas.

Your left hand needs just four shapes (Home, Lift, Lean and Shade) to play all five carols. Each change moves at most two fingers by one key.

Large-print sheets.

The melody is on top, with the shape name printed right above it. If you read music, use the notes. If you don't, the easy-read versions put the letter name inside every note.

The same four steps, every lesson.

  1. Listen
  2. See
  3. Play
  4. Put It Together

Hear it once, watch it slowly from above, play it back with me phrase by phrase, then both hands together.

Your First Weekend

  1. Session 1About 12 minutes

    Learn your first three shapes and switch between them without looking.

  2. Session 2About 15 minutes

    The first half of Silent Night, slowly.

  3. Session 3About 15 minutes

    The whole song, start to finish.

Start Learning — $97

Ready by Christmas Eve, or your money back. · PayPal accepted

The Song They Remember Is the One You Play.

Picture Christmas Eve. The dishes are done, the lights are low, and everyone drifts toward the living room. You sit down, play the last line of Silent Night as an intro, and say, "One, two, ready, sing."

And they do.

Nobody will remember what was on TV that night. They'll remember that you played.

Everything Included

  • Silent Night Fast Track: playable in your first weekend
  • Five carols in original arrangements, taught step by step
  • The Christmas Eve Setlist module
  • Large-print lead sheets, plus easy-read versions with letter names
  • Slow and full-speed demos with overhead views of my hands
  • A 30-day practice plan, plus a 7-Day Christmas Eve Plan if you're starting late
  • Printable sing-along lyric sheets for your family
  • A printable setlist worksheet
  • Lifetime access

Ready by Christmas Eve

A Christmas at the Piano

$97

One-time payment. No subscription.

  • Five carols
  • The Christmas Eve Setlist
  • Lead sheets and practice plans
  • Lifetime access
Start Learning — $97

Secure checkout · Card or PayPal

Ready by Christmas Eve, or your money back.

Start with Silent Night today. All five songs available by October 5.

Meet Your Teacher

Hi, I'm Benjamin Madden.

I've spent twelve years playing piano at church, I play in a band today, and I taught piano lessons in person for five years.

Every Christmas, I sit down at my grandmother's piano and my family sings. That's why I made this course: so you can have that moment at your house too.

I teach the way I would if I were sitting next to you on the bench: slowly, one line at a time, with no judgment about how long it's been.

Start Learning — $97

Ready by Christmas Eve, or your money back. · PayPal accepted

Questions

I haven't played in decades. Can I really do this?

Yes. This course was built for exactly that. Rusty is expected. Everything starts slowly, one phrase at a time, and your left hand only holds one shape per bar. Your first session is about getting comfortable at the keys again, not getting it perfect.

Do I need to read music?

No. Every lead sheet shows the melody with the shape name printed above it. If you read notes, use them. If you don't, the easy-read versions have the letter name printed inside every note, and every lesson shows my hands from above so you can copy what you see.

Do I need a real piano, or will a keyboard work?

Any of them works. A digital piano or a keyboard with at least 61 keys is plenty, and weighted keys are nice but not required. On a digital piano, the transpose button lets you shift songs into keys that are easy for your family to sing. On an acoustic piano, you'll play everything in the key it's taught in, which works well for most of the songs.

How much time does it take?

10–15 minutes a day. Silent Night takes three short sessions. The 30-day plan covers all five carols plus the Setlist, with rest days built in. Starting in December? The 7-Day Christmas Eve Plan gets you two songs and the setlist basics in a week.

I'm a complete beginner. Is this for me?

Honestly, this course is designed for people who played before, even briefly. If you've never played at all, you can still learn Silent Night, but plan on more practice than a single weekend. The guarantee covers you either way.

When do I get the songs?

Do I keep access after Christmas?

Yes, lifetime access. Play these carols every year, or all year.

How does the guarantee work?

Can I use an iPad?

Yes. Lessons play on an iPad, phone or computer, with a speed control so you can slow any demo down. Lead sheets are PDFs you can print or open on your iPad right at the piano.

Still have a question? Email [support email].

Guarantee seal READY BY Christmas Eve GUARANTEE

The Christmas Eve Guarantee

Give Yourself a Christmas at the Piano.

Silent Night by this weekend. Five carols and a setlist by Christmas Eve. Your family singing along.

Start Learning — $97

One-time payment · PayPal accepted · Ready by Christmas Eve, or your money back.

Not ready yet? Start with the free Silent Night lead sheet.

The one-page arrangement you can play this weekend: melody, shapes, and keyboard diagrams.