The Worship Path

Step 1

The Beginner

This is where your worship piano foundation begins. You'll build practical chord skills, learn how to create a worship atmosphere, strengthen your rhythm and technique, and begin putting everything together in real musical situations.

Suggested pace: 1–6 months or more. Take your time. This isn't a race.

Your Step 1 Roadmap

Work through these sections in order. Your Step 1 checkoff sheet follows this same sequence.

1 Setting the Mood for Worship Create movement, atmosphere and transitions. 2 Worship Piano Basics Charts, hand roles, keyboards and basic setup. 3 Jam Time Chords, rhythms, fills and practical playing. 4 Sustain Pedal Training Connect your chords without creating mud. 5 Pads & Strings Add atmosphere and support to worship music. 6 Theory Understanding Understand what's happening underneath the music. 7 Beginner Survival Tactics Simple tools for playing when you're not sure what to do. 8 Jam Time 2 Take your growing skills into a faster worship setting.

Build a Practice Habit

Choose a time you can protect every day or at least three times each week. Consistency matters much more than trying to rush through the path.

Use Your Checkoff Sheet

Print the Step 1 checklist and keep it somewhere visible. Check things off as you work through the training below.

Download Step 1 PDF →
1

Setting the Mood for Worship

Create movement, atmosphere and transitions

Start with a simple, beautiful way to enter into prayer. Learning how to move around the chords of a song gives you the ability to change the atmosphere without needing to play more notes.

Raindrops from Heaven — Basic (3 Videos) Raindrops from Heaven — Intermediate (1 Video) Up and Down — Basic (2 Videos) Up and Down — Intermediate (1 Video)
Optional Advanced Training
Raindrops — Advanced (1 Video) Up and Down — Advanced (2 Videos)
2

Worship Piano Basics

The random stuff you really do need to know

These practical basics will make everything else easier. Work through them in order and keep them in mind as you continue through the Worship Path.

Different Kinds of Charts Finding Good Charts Left Hand and Right Hand Roles Sit, Arms, and Hands Kinds of Keyboards Transpose Function Play Around Middle C
Optional — If You Need More Beginner Help
Where is Middle C? Notes of the Piano (5 Videos) Whole Steps and Half Steps (2 Videos)
3

Jam Time

Key of G • Chords, tricks, fills and more
Before You Start: Review the G Scale and G Diatonic Chords. You don't have to perfect them — just begin connecting the dots.
Review: G Scale — All Videos Review: G Diatonic Chords — Video 1 Only

Chords Used: G, Em, C and D

Checkpoint 1 — Grounded in Prayer & Basic Chords

Start in prayer, establish your right-hand chords, then add the left hand. These chords become the foundation for the checkpoints that follow.

Prayer and Chords
  1. Prayer and Right Hand Chords
  2. Left Hand
  3. Basic Jam Track
Sustain Pedal

Checkpoint 2 — Add Notes & Rocking Chords

Add movement to your basic chords and begin developing the hand motions that eventually become instinctive.

Add Notes
  1. Add Notes
  2. Jam Track
Rocking Chords
  1. Rocking Chords
  2. Jam Track

Checkpoint 3 — Bass Rhythm, Broken Chords & Transitions

Develop independence between your hands, create beautiful broken chord textures, and learn how to support a speaker transition.

New Bass Rhythm Broken Chords Transition a Speaker

Checkpoint 4 — Fills

Learn how to fill the open spaces with musical patterns.

Basic Fills
  1. Basic Fills 1
  2. Basic Fills 2
Intermediate Fills
  1. Intermediate Fills 1
  2. Intermediate Fills 2

Checkpoint 5 — Strings, Pads & All Together

Add atmosphere, support the song, and then hear everything you've learned working together.

Strings and Pads All Together
Extra Credit — More Songs

Apply what you've learned to more songs in the Key of G.

Amazing Grace (My Chains) Build My Life 10,000 Reasons — 2021 Lesson More Songs in the Key of G
4

Sustain Pedal Training

Use this section if the pedal is giving you trouble

Your sustain pedal should connect the music without turning everything into mud. Do as much of this training as you need.

The Basics Sustain Pedal Training — Up to 4 Videos
5

Pads & Strings

Add atmosphere without overplaying

Pads and strings are a simple way to add depth to a worship setting. They can be layered with a piano sound or played by another musician as a dedicated supporting part.

Right Hand Drone Left Hand Drone Pinky Drone
6

Theory Understanding

Connect the dots behind what you're playing

The more you understand, the more freedom you'll eventually have. Don't worry about becoming a theory expert — learn enough to understand what your hands are doing.

Basic Time Signatures Building Triads Learning Major Triads — All Videos Learning Minor Triads — All Videos Basic Inversions Secret — All Videos
Optional — Need Help Identifying Notes?

If you're still counting through the alphabet to identify notes, spend a little time getting faster. See it and know it!

Keyboard Note Identification
7

Beginner Survival Tactics

What to do when you're playing with others and feel lost

Playing with a group can feel intimidating when you're starting out. These simple tools give you something musical to fall back on when you're not sure what to play.

Beginner Survival Tactics How to Create Worship Intros with Little Information
8

Jam Time 2

Key of C • Faster worship playing

Small Habits + Consistency Over Time = Success

Before you begin, review the C Scale and C Diatonic Chords. Again, you don't have to perfect them first — just understand what you're working with.

Review: C Scale Review: C Diatonic Chords

Chords Used: C, F, G and Am

Checkpoint 1 — Prayer & Basic Chords

Begin in prayer and learn the chords using the C Magic Shape.

Prayer and Chords
  1. Prayer
  2. C Magic Shape Explanation
  3. Chord Workout
  4. Basic Jam

Checkpoint 2 — Sustain Pedal & New Rhythms

Keep developing clean sustain pedal technique while adding new rhythmic ideas.

Sustain Pedal New Rhythms Intermission Song : )

Checkpoint 3 — Pentatonic Fills & More

Think in shapes and learn to fill the spaces where nothing else is happening.

Pentatonic Fills More Fills

Checkpoint 4 — Advanced Bass & Right Hand

This one is more challenging. If it feels like too much right now, it's perfectly fine to come back to it later.
Advanced Bass & Right Hand

Checkpoint 5 — Setting the Mood

Raindrops

Step 1 Complete!

If you've worked through this page, you've covered a lot more than basic chords. You've started learning how to think and play like a worship piano player.

Don't move on just because you've watched every video. Repeat anything that still requires too much thought. When these skills begin to feel natural, Step 2 will be waiting for you.

Continue to Step 2 →