The fastest way to get a kid playing the Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow is a song they already know. The piano's 49 keys are color-coded, and two free play-by-color song booklets match those colors note for note, so a kid follows the colors on the page and a real song comes out. Between them, the booklets hold 14 songs, from a three-note warm-up to Für Elise.
Here's every song, the order we'd learn them in, and how to read the booklet on the first try.
Download the song booklets
Both booklets are free to print at home:
- Rock And Roll It Rainbow song booklet, Volume 1 (PDF)
- Rock And Roll It Rainbow song booklet, Volume 2 (PDF)
They're also linked from the Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow roll-up piano page, so they're easy to find again when the printout goes missing under the sofa.
How to read the color booklet
Each note in the booklet is a colored dot that matches a colored key. Three rules cover everything:
- Pick a starting octave. Place your hands on the octave you'd like to start in. The colors repeat across the keyboard, so any octave works.
- Follow the colors, and watch for R and L. A note marked R means play that color in the octave to the right. A note marked L means the octave to the left.
- Two colors on one note means a black key. Play the black key that sits between those two colored keys.
Most songs have the lyrics printed under the notes, so a kid who knows the song can sing along and feel the rhythm while they find the keys.
All 14 songs, easiest to hardest
This is the order we'd learn them in. Each song adds one new thing to the last.
First week: a handful of notes
- Hot Cross Buns (Volume 1). Three notes, the classic first song, and usually the first win.
- Mary Had a Little Lamb (Volume 1). One more note, and the tune everybody recognizes.
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Volume 1). A step up in range, and a song that sounds like real music the first time through.
- Ode to Joy (Volume 2). Beethoven, played by a first-grader. Most of it walks up and down neighboring keys.
Next up: songs for the family
- Jingle Bells (Volume 1). Start in the fall and it's ready to perform by December.
- Happy Birthday to You (Volume 1). The most useful song a kid can know, with R notes where the melody jumps up.
- Shoo Fly (Volume 2). A bouncy rhythm with lots of repeats.
- Alouette (Volume 2). A song that builds, verse on verse, with a few L notes to reach down.
- This Land Is Your Land (Volume 1). A longer melody that still sits comfortably under the hands.
The show pieces
- Do-Re-Mi (Volume 2). The song about the scale, and a good way to learn it.
- Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Volume 2). Bigger leaps, and a crowd-pleaser at any family gathering.
- Scarborough Fair (Volume 2). Slow and minor-key, so every note gets heard.
- Für Elise (Volume 2). The famous opening uses the black keys and jumps to the octave to the right, so this is where the two-color rule gets a workout.
- The Star-Spangled Banner (Volume 2). The widest range in either booklet, and the song that makes a grandparent stand up.
Tips for the first month
- Play the demo songs too. The Piano Rainbow has built-in demo songs. Listening first, then copying, trains the ear alongside the colors.
- Record the win. The record and playback button lets a kid capture their first full song and play it back to the family, which is often the moment they decide they're a piano player.
- Use headphones at dinner time. The headphone output keeps practice going while the rest of the house talks.
- Take it along. The keyboard rolls up and runs on USB or four AAA batteries, so a song can be practiced in the car on the way to Grandma's, then performed when you arrive.
Which roll-up piano to play them on
The booklets are made for the Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow, whose color-coded keys match the dots on the page. It's the one to buy for a kid learning songs by color, and it's for ages 6 and up.
The classic Rock And Roll It Piano has the same 49 keys, tones, demo songs, and record and playback, for a kid who is learning by ear or from sheet music.
For the kid who has worked through all 14 songs, the Rock And Roll It Piano Studio moves up to 61 keys, with 45 demo songs and a teaching mode that steps through a song one note at a time, waiting for the right key before it moves on. It's MIDI compatible too, so it connects to music software on a computer or tablet.
See every instrument in the Rock And Roll It collection, or read our guide to teaching kids music when you don't play an instrument.
Rock And Roll It piano songs: quick questions
What songs come with the Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow?
The Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow has two free play-by-color song booklets with 14 songs, including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday, Jingle Bells, Ode to Joy, Für Elise, and The Star-Spangled Banner.
Where can I download the Rock And Roll It Rainbow song booklet?
Both Rock And Roll It Rainbow song booklets are free PDFs linked from the Piano Rainbow product page on mukikim.com, ready to print at home.
What do R and L mean in the Rock And Roll It color booklet?
In the Rock And Roll It color booklet, R means play that color in the octave to the right and L means the octave to the left. A note with two colors means the black key between those two keys.
How many keys does the Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow have?
The Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow has 49 color-coded keys on a flexible silicone keyboard that rolls up.
Does the Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow have demo songs?
Yes. The Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow has built-in demo songs, along with multiple tones, echo and sustain, and record and playback.
