Lyrics give a beginner piano song a story, and they can help a child remember the melody. When there is one syllable for each note, your child can sing along at the speed they play. This guide shows how to sing while you play, and how to add lyrics to a song in Pianu.
Why sing while you play the piano?
Many children's songs started as songs to sing. Words can make a short melody easier to remember, because the child knows what comes next in the story. Singing can also help a child feel where a line starts and ends.
There are other good reasons:
- A song with words feels like a real song, not an exercise.
- Singing keeps a child busy and happy while the hands learn the notes.
- A sung line gives a natural place to breathe and to stop.
- Many young children like to sing for their family. It turns practice into a small show.
Singing is not a test. A child who sings off key, or very quietly, still gets the benefits of hearing the words with the melody.
What makes good lyrics for a beginner song?
For a young child, good lyrics are simple and easy to sing. Look for these things:
| Good for beginners | Harder for beginners |
|---|---|
| One syllable for each note | Many syllables on one note |
| Short, everyday words | Long or unusual words |
| A line that ends where the music rests | Words that run over the end of a line |
| A friendly subject your child likes | A subject that means nothing to your child |
| The same words come back when the music comes back | New words every time |
One syllable for each note matters most. Then every key your child plays has its own small part of a word, and the singing goes at the same speed as the playing.
How do I add lyrics to a song in Pianu?
In Pianu, words are written to fit the melody, one syllable per note. You can ask for lyrics for a song your child already has in My Songs, for example a piece that you scanned from the teacher's page.
- Ask for lyrics for the song. The request waits in Requests in My Songs, and you can keep using Pianu while it works.
- Open the result. The lyrics show under the notes, so you can read them with the melody.
- Read every word before your child sings it. Check that the words suit your child.
- Choose Use lyrics to add the words to the song, or Keep original to leave the song as it was.
The picture at the top of this post shows the review step, with Keep original, Show original and Use lyrics.
How do we sing and play at the same time?
Singing and playing at the same time is two jobs at once. Take it in small steps:
- Listen to the piece first, so your child hears the melody.
- Read the words of one line aloud, slowly. Clap one clap for each syllable.
- Sing the line without the keys.
- Play the line without singing.
- Play and sing the line together, at a slow tempo.
- When one line is easy, add the next line.
The words stay under the notes in Practice too. Your child can follow the syllables while they play, and the notes played right turn green.
If the singing makes the playing stop, slow the tempo, or let your child play one hand while Pianu plays the other. You can also sing the words while your child only plays. Sing together first; your child can sing alone later.
How else can lyrics help practice?
Words can help with more than the melody:
- Talk about the hard place by its words. "Let's play 'sing along with' again" is easier for a young child than "bar 3, beat 1."
- Keep the rhythm steady. When each syllable sits on one note, a long note gets a long sound in the word. Singing can help a child hold it.
- Make an old song new. New words can bring a song back that your child stopped playing.
- Practice away from the piano. Your child can sing the song in the car or at bedtime. The melody stays fresh for the next practice.
To make the song feel even more like your child's own, give it a cover picture too. Describe a scene, and the song gets its own picture.
Read how to make piano practice fun for kids for more ideas.
Do the lyrics replace the words a teacher gives?
No. If the teacher's piece already has words, use them. Lyrics in Pianu are a way to add words to a song that has none, or to give your child a fun new version. If you are not sure, ask the teacher which words they want your child to sing.
For covers, lyrics, rewards and Goals on one page, see fun piano practice for kids.
Read more: Fun practice
Questions parents ask
My child cannot read yet. Can they still sing the lyrics?
Yes. Read the words aloud and sing them together first. Many young children learn the words by ear, and the words under the notes help you point to the place.
Should my child sing and play at the same time from the start?
Not always. Sing the line first, then play it, then join the two. If singing and playing together is too much, keep them apart for a few days.
What if I do not like a word in the new lyrics?
Read the lyrics before you apply them. If they do not suit your child, choose Keep original, and the song stays as it was.
Do lyrics change the notes of the song?
No. The words are written to fit the melody, one syllable per note, and they show under the notes.
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