Lesson 6 10 min

Learning Songs

Learn songs efficiently with AI — find beginner-friendly arrangements, break down difficult parts, use stem separation to practice along with tracks, and build a repertoire.

Playing songs is why you picked up an instrument. Theory and technique are the foundation, but songs are the payoff. This lesson teaches you how to break down any song into learnable pieces — and how AI tools can make the process dramatically faster.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you built physical technique — posture, hand position, and finger exercises. Now you’ll put those skills to work on actual music, using AI to find the right songs and learn them efficiently.

Finding the Right Songs

Recommend songs for me to learn on [instrument]:

My level: [beginner / early intermediate]
Genres I love: [list genres or artists]
Skills I've developed so far: [e.g., "basic chords G, C, D, Em",
  "can read simple notation", "comfortable at 80 BPM"]

Give me:
1. 3 songs I can learn THIS WEEK (matching my current skills)
2. 3 songs to aim for in 1 month (slightly above my level)
3. 3 "dream songs" to work toward in 3-6 months
4. For each: what specific skills it requires and why it's good
   for my development

Beginner-friendly songs by instrument:

Instrument	Easy Wins (Week 1-2)	Building Skills (Month 1-2)
Guitar	“Horse With No Name” (2 chords), “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (4 chords)	“Wonderwall,” “Wish You Were Here”
Piano	“Ode to Joy” (melody), “Lean on Me” (simplified)	“Let It Be,” “Hallelujah”
Ukulele	“Riptide” (4 chords), “I’m Yours” (4 chords)	“Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Hey Soul Sister”
Violin	“Twinkle Twinkle” (open strings), “Ode to Joy”	“Minuet in G,” Canon in D (simplified)
Drums	“We Will Rock You” (boom-boom-clap), “Stayin’ Alive”	“Back in Black,” “Billie Jean”

The 5-Step Song Learning Method

Step 1: Listen — Listen to the song 5+ times. Focus on structure (verse, chorus, bridge). Hum along.

Step 2: Map — Have AI break down the song structure, chords/notes, and identify the hardest parts.

Step 3: Chunk — Learn the easiest section first (usually the chorus). Master it before moving on.

Step 4: Connect — Link sections together. Practice transitions between verse→chorus, chorus→bridge.

Step 5: Polish — Play the full song with a backing track. Record yourself. Fix remaining rough spots.

Help me learn [song name] by [artist] on [instrument]:

1. Break down the song structure (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.)
2. List every chord or note pattern I need to know
3. Identify the hardest part and explain how to approach it
4. Create a 7-day learning plan that builds from easiest
   section to full song
5. What simplified version can I play if the full version is
   too hard right now?

My current skill level: [describe what you can play]

✅ Quick Check: Should you learn a song from beginning to end, in order? (Answer: Almost never. Learn the easiest section first — usually the chorus, which often repeats the most and gives you the biggest “I can play a song!” payoff. Then learn the verse. Then the bridge or any unique sections. Finally, practice the transitions between sections. Learning in order of difficulty, not song order, builds momentum and prevents the frustration of getting stuck early.)

Practice Along with AI Tools

Stem separation is a game-changer. Tools like Moises.ai can take any recording and split it into separate tracks: vocals, drums, bass, guitar, and other instruments. This means you can:

Mute your instrument and play its part over the rest of the band
Isolate the instrument you’re learning to hear exactly what it plays
Slow down the track without changing the pitch
Loop a specific section for repeated practice

I want to practice playing along with [song name]:

1. What tempo is this song?
2. Can you write out the chord progression / main melody?
3. How can I use Moises.ai (or similar) to create a backing track?
4. What tempo should I start at (percentage of original)?
5. Create a speed progression plan:
   Day 1: __% speed
   Day 3: __% speed
   Day 5: __% speed
   Day 7: Full speed

Building Your Repertoire

Help me build a repertoire of songs on [instrument]:

Songs I can play well: [list]
Songs I'm currently learning: [list]
Genres I enjoy: [list]

Create a repertoire development plan:
1. A "setlist" of 5-8 songs I can maintain and play anytime
2. A rotation system: when to review old songs vs. learn new ones
3. Songs that build on skills from my current repertoire
4. A practice schedule that balances maintenance and new learning
5. How to track what I know and what needs refreshing

✅ Quick Check: You learned a song last month and could play it perfectly. Now you try it again and keep making mistakes. What happened? (Answer: This is normal — skills decay without maintenance. Your muscle memory fades for passages you don’t play regularly. The fix is repertoire maintenance: cycle through your known songs weekly, playing each one at least once. Think of it like a garden — songs need occasional watering even after they’ve bloomed. AI can create a rotation schedule so nothing slips through the cracks.)

Key Takeaways

Start with songs you love, simplified to your level — AI can create beginner arrangements of almost any song without losing the recognizable sound
Learn songs by section difficulty, not by order — master the chorus first (usually easiest and most rewarding), then verses, then unique sections
Always practice with a metronome or backing track from day one — playing without one hides timing problems that surface when you play with others
Stem separation tools (Moises.ai) let you mute your instrument and play along with the rest of the band at any speed
Build and maintain a repertoire of 5-8 polished songs rather than rushing through many songs superficially

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll learn how to stay motivated through the inevitable plateaus — the periods where improvement feels invisible but is actually happening beneath the surface.

Knowledge Check

1. You want to learn a song that seems too hard for your level. What should you do?

Skip it and pick an easier song Ask AI to create a simplified version — stripping the song down to its core melody or basic chord progression. Most songs can be simplified to beginner level without losing their recognizable sound. You can then learn the simplified version first and add complexity as your skills improve. This builds motivation because you're playing music you actually love, not just 'beginner songs' Practice the full version slowly until you can play it

2. You've learned 3 songs and can play them well. A friend suggests you should learn 20 more songs quickly. Is this good advice?

Yes — the more songs you know, the better Balance is better: maintain your 3 polished songs while adding new ones gradually (1 new song per 1-2 weeks). Quality repertoire beats quantity. Musicians who rush through many songs play all of them poorly. Musicians who maintain a smaller set of well-polished pieces sound dramatically better and can actually perform when asked to play something No — you should perfect those 3 songs completely before learning anything new

3. You can play a song perfectly alone but fall apart when playing along with the recording. Why?

The recording is faster than you practiced Playing alone, you unconsciously pause at difficult spots, slow down in hard sections, and speed up in easy ones — you've been practicing at your own flexible tempo, not the song's actual tempo. When the recording forces a steady beat, these inconsistencies are exposed. The fix: always practice with a metronome or backing track from the start, even at a slow tempo You need better speakers to hear the music while playing

Answer all questions to check

Complete the quiz above first