Learning how to play “Happy Birthday” on piano is easier than you think! Use these pictures and tutorial to learn in minutes.

“Happy Birthday” is one of the most important songs for all musicians to know. It is someone’s birthday every single day, and if you can play this on piano you can help make someone’s celebration even more special by knowing how to play it.

The Foundation to “Happy Birthday”

In this lesson we will be in the Key of F major as we learn to play “Happy Birthday” on the piano.

F G A Bb C D E F

You only need to know three chords to play this song on the piano.

F –  Bb – C

F major is an easy chord which is on all white keys

The notes are F – A – C 

Bb Major is a little trickier but if you spend a little time to get it under your fingers, it will begin to feel more natural when playing “Happy Birthday.”

The notes are Bb – D – F 

C major is one of the first chords that beginner pianists learn. It is also a pretty easy white key chord.

The notes are C – E – G

All of the chords can be played in root position, so no need for inversions if you want to keep it simple while learning how to play “Happy Birthday” on the piano.

Here are the chords in the order that they appear in the song:

Getting In The Groove

The song is in ¾ time so count to 3 and then move to the next chord.

The second to last bar is counted where the F major chord gets 2 beats and the C major gets one.

You don’t have to be super strict with meter on this song because when people sing it they oftentimes will slow down certain sections to make the music fit the words better.

The lyrics “Happy Birthday to (na—me)” is taken rubato almost every time the song is sung.

Practice the chords in the left hand, so you know how to play “Happy Birthday” on the piano smoothly, and add the melody on top. But you can also play the chords with your right hand and add the roots in the left hand.

Here’s how to play the vocal part in the right hand and the chords in the left hand:

The Icing on the Cake for Happy Birthday

We’ve kept things simple in this lesson to get you playing the song as quick as possible, but since birthdays happen every year, this is a great song to experiment with. Try playing the melody in octaves, or experiment with chord inversions. Now that you know how to play “Happy Birthday” on the piano, you can use it to grow as a musician as your friends and family celebrate their birthdays.

Learn more easy songs on the piano like “Lean on Me” or “Hello” by Adele.