Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 11 hours ago
Stop reading your left hand one note at a time. In rock and pop it is almost always the same shape: an octave, with the fifth of the chord sitting in the middle.
Get this lesson and 20 years of piano lessons - every song, every course, every chord sheet - for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
Watch what the left hand is actually doing in "Going Home" by Mark Knopfler. On the D chord you play a D octave, and your second finger just naturally falls on the A in the middle. A is the fifth of D. That is the whole shape. The next bar it is an F sharp octave with the C sharp in the middle. Then E, B, E. Then G, D, G. Same hand, same feel, over and over, all the way down the page.
Once you know to look for it, you stop reading three separate notes and start reading one shape. Your hand already knows where it goes. As I say in the lesson: expect it. When you expect something, it makes a lot more sense.
WHAT THIS SHORT TEACHES
- The octave and a fifth: the left hand shape under most rock and pop piano
- Why your second finger lands on the fifth without being told to
- How to spot the shape on the page instead of reading note by note
- Why knowing the chord (D, F sharp, A) makes the left hand read itself
- The habit that makes a new piece get easier instead of harder
THE SONG
"Going Home" (Theme from Local Hero) by Mark Knopfler, front man of Dire Straits, from the film Local Hero, and one of the most loved instrumental themes ever written. It is also famous around football grounds in the north east of England. This is a solo piano arrangement in the key of D with two sharps, F sharp and C sharp.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Adult beginners and returning players. If you read notes but have never been taught what the chords are doing underneath them, this is the missing piece. You do not need big hands, fast fingers or years of theory. You need to know what to look for.
FULL LESSON
The complete Going Home lesson walks through the whole arrangement, line by line, both hands, with the notes and fingering shown on screen and a ghost keyboard so you can see exactly what is played. It is part of my library at webpianoteacher.com, where 20 years of lessons live - pop, rock, worship, jazz, classical, Christmas, chord sheets and full song arrangements - all included in the same membership.
Try the whole thing for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
Piano lesson, left hand piano, octave and a fifth, rock piano left hand, pop piano left hand, how to read piano music, piano chords for beginners, Mark Knopfler Going Home piano, Local Hero piano, adult piano lessons, learn piano at home, piano for beginners, Shawn Cheek, Web Piano Teacher.
👍 Try 1,000 free lessons today on webpianoteacher.com ✅ Learn to play piano with Shawn’s revolutionary method
Read Google Reviews by Shawn’s actual students google.com/search?sca_esv=5009c1303de011b0&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1008US1008&hl=en-US&q=web+piano+teacher+reviews&uds=ADvngMgvgkdrPGdvQSDLpEVP-ZodsumYvHbzDCPdZxu7y1dxdo5qqAYWcbG74nStvB1P7oPuKgMFxvRIzd_DZN3tMyxEyrPXSMvg62M7DhKnaOoXRrvMRlR2qOzpuVB5MFvbzhVxfpnLmeUii_UEMspRA9Sb2_UNlNmYcxD8gSa_9Y-ZrAhmC7PMo4dC-3yAW2NaRCTwbTkIJFF0zACFe0MmWygbXUnSyy4URj5yYn7f6Y92qL5F7C65sP-AwHchpQ_w3yruheB24nu-AvcfFQo-ckINkBqWAeio4R0dm9r8cmVn2A7RlUhPAPOZyHpYJ2DontEmnoCi9_eEmhwW9RpGrsajaR7u8_U58p0eD_M4AQtnaQce2g4_3U4ECJVG1OOQrlRFwR4byywOQYKXK-PF9b_wDOJ4wtlppDpfX1FhULjD2H_jbmF3keFLT-JjbHx5mU1wYAbm&si=ACC90nwjPmqJHrCEt6ewASzksVFQDX8zco_7MgBaIawvaF4-7tVxiqnhHYhqKwDDsP2tv6FAZ1fBoW06Zy-5I4bv_4sVUMNgTvp0JS4qCRvaokEGreiT-RV-opIxhvzKSE6856yE4kgwpddtdtU31HEpdWwEdq8gXg%3D%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik1uakreOIAxVxKkQIHU2mGhQQk8gLegQIKRAB&ictx=1&biw=390&bih=657&dpr=3
🎹 #learntoplaypiano #learnpiano #pianocover #pianolessons #pianoteacher #pianotutorial #easypiano #howtoplaypiano http:webpianoteacher.com
🎹 Testimonials from Shawn’s actual students: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bI83Iun0tmCk-4IOSVAxm6S
🔥Billy Joel Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bKGJ1HDqNoqdQ02-o579MQk
🔥Elton John Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bJV-8LhjXDcX5W4XRLhFhQZ
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Stop reading your left hand one note at a time. In rock and pop it is almost always the same shape: an octave, with the fifth of the chord sitting in the middle.
Get this lesson and 20 years of piano lessons - every song, every course, every chord sheet - for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
Watch what the left hand is actually doing in "Going Home" by Mark Knopfler. On the D chord you play a D octave, and your second finger just naturally falls on the A in the middle. A is the fifth of D. That is the whole shape. The next bar it is an F sharp octave with the C sharp in the middle. Then E, B, E. Then G, D, G. Same hand, same feel, over and over, all the way down the page.
Once you know to look for it, you stop reading three separate notes and start reading one shape. Your hand already knows where it goes. As I say in the lesson: expect it. When you expect something, it makes a lot more sense.
WHAT THIS SHORT TEACHES
- The octave and a fifth: the left hand shape under most rock and pop piano
- Why your second finger lands on the fifth without being told to
- How to spot the shape on the page instead of reading note by note
- Why knowing the chord (D, F sharp, A) makes the left hand read itself
- The habit that makes a new piece get easier instead of harder
THE SONG
"Going Home" (Theme from Local Hero) by Mark Knopfler, front man of Dire Straits, from the film Local Hero, and one of the most loved instrumental themes ever written. It is also famous around football grounds in the north east of England. This is a solo piano arrangement in the key of D with two sharps, F sharp and C sharp.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Adult beginners and returning players. If you read notes but have never been taught what the chords are doing underneath them, this is the missing piece. You do not need big hands, fast fingers or years of theory. You need to know what to look for.
FULL LESSON
The complete Going Home lesson walks through the whole arrangement, line by line, both hands, with the notes and fingering shown on screen and a ghost keyboard so you can see exactly what is played. It is part of my library at webpianoteacher.com, where 20 years of lessons live - pop, rock, worship, jazz, classical, Christmas, chord sheets and full song arrangements - all included in the same membership.
Try the whole thing for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
Piano lesson, left hand piano, octave and a fifth, rock piano left hand, pop piano left hand, how to read piano music, piano chords for beginners, Mark Knopfler Going Home piano, Local Hero piano, adult piano lessons, learn piano at home, piano for beginners, Shawn Cheek, Web Piano Teacher.
👍 Try 1,000 free lessons today on webpianoteacher.com ✅ Learn to play piano with Shawn’s revolutionary method
Read Google Reviews by Shawn’s actual students google.com/search?sca_esv=5009c1303de011b0&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1008US1008&hl=en-US&q=web+piano+teacher+reviews&uds=ADvngMgvgkdrPGdvQSDLpEVP-ZodsumYvHbzDCPdZxu7y1dxdo5qqAYWcbG74nStvB1P7oPuKgMFxvRIzd_DZN3tMyxEyrPXSMvg62M7DhKnaOoXRrvMRlR2qOzpuVB5MFvbzhVxfpnLmeUii_UEMspRA9Sb2_UNlNmYcxD8gSa_9Y-ZrAhmC7PMo4dC-3yAW2NaRCTwbTkIJFF0zACFe0MmWygbXUnSyy4URj5yYn7f6Y92qL5F7C65sP-AwHchpQ_w3yruheB24nu-AvcfFQo-ckINkBqWAeio4R0dm9r8cmVn2A7RlUhPAPOZyHpYJ2DontEmnoCi9_eEmhwW9RpGrsajaR7u8_U58p0eD_M4AQtnaQce2g4_3U4ECJVG1OOQrlRFwR4byywOQYKXK-PF9b_wDOJ4wtlppDpfX1FhULjD2H_jbmF3keFLT-JjbHx5mU1wYAbm&si=ACC90nwjPmqJHrCEt6ewASzksVFQDX8zco_7MgBaIawvaF4-7tVxiqnhHYhqKwDDsP2tv6FAZ1fBoW06Zy-5I4bv_4sVUMNgTvp0JS4qCRvaokEGreiT-RV-opIxhvzKSE6856yE4kgwpddtdtU31HEpdWwEdq8gXg%3D%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik1uakreOIAxVxKkQIHU2mGhQQk8gLegQIKRAB&ictx=1&biw=390&bih=657&dpr=3
🎹 #learntoplaypiano #learnpiano #pianocover #pianolessons #pianoteacher #pianotutorial #easypiano #howtoplaypiano http:webpianoteacher.com
🎹 Testimonials from Shawn’s actual students: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bI83Iun0tmCk-4IOSVAxm6S
🔥Billy Joel Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bKGJ1HDqNoqdQ02-o579MQk
🔥Elton John Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bJV-8LhjXDcX5W4XRLhFhQZ
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instagram.com/webpianoteacher
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