Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 17 hours ago
The same note shows up twice in this measure. One of them is the melody and one of them is not, and if you play them both the same the tune disappears.
Try every lesson for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
This comes out of my full piano lesson on "Going Home" by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits — the theme from the movie Local Hero, and the song you have heard at every big football match for years.
In this line there is a B in the left hand and a B in the right hand, one right after the other. They look identical on the page. They are not the same thing at all. One is part of the accompaniment. The other one is the tune.
WHAT TO DO:
- Find the melody note. On this page it is the second B, the one the right hand crosses to play.
- Play it LOUDER than everything around it. Not twice as loud — just clearly on top.
- Play the other B softer, underneath, as accompaniment.
- Listen back. If you cannot hum along with what you just played, the melody is not coming out yet.
When I play it the wrong way in the video you can hear it — the melody note does not even come out. It is buried. The notes are all correct and the music is gone.
This is the single biggest difference between a piano part that sounds like notes and one that sounds like a song. Your hands do not play everything at the same volume. They never should. The melody rides on top and everything else sits underneath it.
It is also why I keep the accompaniment in one hand and the melody in the other whenever the arrangement allows it. Could you play that B with the right hand instead? Sure. But keeping the two jobs in two hands makes it far easier to control how loud each one is.
In the full lesson I teach this arrangement of "Going Home" line by line in the key of D: the left hand pattern that runs underneath, the chord shapes, the crossing over for that melody B, the quarter note counting, the rolled chords, the tied notes, and how to work a page in small pieces with real repetitions.
WANT TO FINISH THIS SONG AND OVER 1,000 MORE?
Inside webpianoteacher.com you get the complete "Going Home" lesson plus more than 1,000 piano lessons — pop, rock, worship, gospel, country, classical and jazz — taught note for note and from chord sheets, with downloadable sheet music. New lessons every week, including requests. It is built for adults who played a little when they were young and want to finally play the songs they love, at their own pace, without a weekly teacher.
Start on a $1 trial for 7 days, cancel any time: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
Two notes on the page can look the same and mean two completely different things. Bring the melody out.
#pianolesson #pianotutorial #melody #voicing #goinghome #markknopfler #direstraits #localhero #pianotechnique #learnpiano #pianochords #adultpianostudent #sheetmusic #pianoteacher #pianoforbeginners
👍 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
webpianoteacher.com
instagram.com/webpianoteacher
facebook.com/shawncheekeasypiano
twitter.com/webpianoteacher
tiktok.com/@shawnthewebpianoteacher
The same note shows up twice in this measure. One of them is the melody and one of them is not, and if you play them both the same the tune disappears.
Try every lesson for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
This comes out of my full piano lesson on "Going Home" by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits — the theme from the movie Local Hero, and the song you have heard at every big football match for years.
In this line there is a B in the left hand and a B in the right hand, one right after the other. They look identical on the page. They are not the same thing at all. One is part of the accompaniment. The other one is the tune.
WHAT TO DO:
- Find the melody note. On this page it is the second B, the one the right hand crosses to play.
- Play it LOUDER than everything around it. Not twice as loud — just clearly on top.
- Play the other B softer, underneath, as accompaniment.
- Listen back. If you cannot hum along with what you just played, the melody is not coming out yet.
When I play it the wrong way in the video you can hear it — the melody note does not even come out. It is buried. The notes are all correct and the music is gone.
This is the single biggest difference between a piano part that sounds like notes and one that sounds like a song. Your hands do not play everything at the same volume. They never should. The melody rides on top and everything else sits underneath it.
It is also why I keep the accompaniment in one hand and the melody in the other whenever the arrangement allows it. Could you play that B with the right hand instead? Sure. But keeping the two jobs in two hands makes it far easier to control how loud each one is.
In the full lesson I teach this arrangement of "Going Home" line by line in the key of D: the left hand pattern that runs underneath, the chord shapes, the crossing over for that melody B, the quarter note counting, the rolled chords, the tied notes, and how to work a page in small pieces with real repetitions.
WANT TO FINISH THIS SONG AND OVER 1,000 MORE?
Inside webpianoteacher.com you get the complete "Going Home" lesson plus more than 1,000 piano lessons — pop, rock, worship, gospel, country, classical and jazz — taught note for note and from chord sheets, with downloadable sheet music. New lessons every week, including requests. It is built for adults who played a little when they were young and want to finally play the songs they love, at their own pace, without a weekly teacher.
Start on a $1 trial for 7 days, cancel any time: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
Two notes on the page can look the same and mean two completely different things. Bring the melody out.
#pianolesson #pianotutorial #melody #voicing #goinghome #markknopfler #direstraits #localhero #pianotechnique #learnpiano #pianochords #adultpianostudent #sheetmusic #pianoteacher #pianoforbeginners
👍 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
webpianoteacher.com
instagram.com/webpianoteacher
facebook.com/shawncheekeasypiano
twitter.com/webpianoteacher
tiktok.com/@shawnthewebpianoteacher
