Premium
VIP
Beta Tester
About This Lesson
In today’s lesson I’ll teach you a guitar arrangement of Piano Man, the 1973 classic from Billy Joel. This song uses a singular chord progression for most of the song (intro, verse, chorus) — which I’ll walk you through step by step. I’ll also include a handful of practical ways to simplify some of the trickier chords, as translating piano chords to a guitar isn’t always straightforward. To the many of you who requested this song in the past few years, I hope you enjoy!
- 0:00 Welcome
- 1:20 Chords: Main Section
- 7:31 Chords: Interlude
- 10:24 Strumming
- 16:33 Ending Riffs
- 23:49 Performance Tips
- 26:36 Playthrough with Lyrics
Quick Links
- Lyric & chords
- Song Wikipedia page
- Official music video on YouTube
- Piano Tutorial via Piano with Nate
Practice Guide 6 pages
Lesson Discussion
Extended Video Lessons
Here’s a few extra videos, made in thanks to those supporting me with Premium membership here on my Song Notes website. To those showing your support, you have my true thanks and appreciation — and I hope you find these additional videos helpful!
Slow Playthrough: Main Progression & Interlude
This video shows me playing the main progression (used in the intro, verse, and chorus) and the interlude (“la, la la, la-dee-da”). After playing these once each, I repeat it all one more time through. No singing, so you can hear the guitar. I count in for four full measures before starting.
Slow Playthrough: Ending Variations
This video shows me slowly playing the 3 different versions of the “big” ending riff I teach in my lesson. This is the thunderous piano sequence Billy Joel plays at the end of the intro, after most harmonica solos, and a few other places. I count in for four measures, then play each ending twice in a row — before continuing to the next one. This video also has no singing, so you can hear the guitar.
Related and Recommended
Here’s some tutorials I’ve made tackling the various techniques this song requires, which includes some practical chord tips for the F and G (where finger position is quite important). While this song doesn’t use alternating bass notes, I’ve included a link to that lesson as well — as it’s adjacent to the bass-note strumming used throughout this song.
On the topic of Piano Man, be sure to check out this melodic fingerstyle lesson I made. I teach a fun way to fingerpick the chords in the main progression, in a manner where the vocal melody notes are included on the thinnest couple strings. Quite fun!
From my library of song tutorials, this Jerry Jeff Walker classic is probably the most musically similar to Piano Man. Waltz feel, descending bass notes,
Browse Related Lessons
Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:
Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!
Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!
Looking for More Song Lessons?
Featured Courses
Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made
Coming soon is Jambox – which shows all the video jam tracks I've made. It's note quite ready for the spotlight, but check it out if you like!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel
Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!
Recent Lessons
-
September 16, 2026
"Sweet Jane" by Velvet Underground
-
September 14, 2026
Practical Music Theory: 1-4-5 Chords & Why They're Important
-
September 9, 2026
Q&A: Understanding Secondary Dominants (ft. Sierra Ferrell)
-
August 28, 2026
Learn Riffs Faster with Chunking (ft. Johnny Cash)
-
August 20, 2026
[Updated] Chord Changes & Learning New Chords
-
August 19, 2026
Practice Guide for "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
-
August 14, 2026
Strum & Sing "Runaway" by Del Shannon
-
August 7, 2026
Practice Guide for "Brown Eyed Girl"
-
July 31, 2026
"Ohio" by Crosby Stills Nash & Young
