How to Play “You Are My Sunshine” on Piano

Today, we’re excited to walk you through a beginner-friendly arrangement of the classic song “You Are My Sunshine.”

This song holds a special place in my heart—my mom used to sing it to me when I was little, and I’ve always loved its sweet, simple melody. If you’re brand new to the piano, this is a great song to start with. I’ll take you through it step by step, covering:

How to play the melody
How to play the chords
How to put both hands together in a smooth and coordinated way

Follow these steps and you’ll be learning how to play “You Are My Sunshine” on piano in no time! Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Right Hand – Playing the Melody

We’ll be playing in the key of G major, which means every F becomes an F-sharp. This mostly affects the left hand, but it’s helpful to keep in mind as we go.

Getting Started:

Place your right-hand thumb on D, just above middle C (between the two black keys).
Your index finger will stretch to G, and then you’ll use your next two fingers to play A and B.

First Phrase:

Play D – G – A – B – B
Shift your middle finger to A-sharp, then play B – A-sharp – B, and land on G
Move your thumb to G and walk up: G – A – B – C
Skip over D and land on E with your pinky
Walk back down: E – D – C – B

Here’s a diagram with these notes spread out:

Repeat Pattern:

Start again from G, walk up to C, skip to E, then walk back down to B
Finish this section by playing: G – A – B – C – A – B – G

Step 2: Left Hand – Playing the Chords

We’ll be using just three basic chords: G, C, and D.

G Major Chord:

Pinky on G
Middle finger on B
Thumb on D
This forms a “skip, skip” pattern—all on white keys.

C Major Chord:

Pinky on C
Middle finger on E
Thumb on G
Same “skip, skip” shape—easy to remember!

D Major Chord:

Start with a D minor shape: D – F – A
Then move the F up to F-sharp to make it D major

You can play these chords closer to the melody in the middle of the keyboard, or drop them down lower to give your hands more space—whichever feels more comfortable.

Step 3: Putting It All Together

Now that you’ve got the melody and chords down, let’s coordinate both hands.

The melody begins with a pickup—a few notes that lead into the first full phrase (“You are my…”).

Here’s how it lines up:

Start with the pickup notes (B–B), then land on G with the lyric “sunshine”
When your right hand hits C, play a C chord in the left hand
As the melody walks back down to B, play a G chord on the word “gray”
Repeat the same pattern: walk up to C, play a C chord, then walk down again with a G chord