IF THERE’S ONE TUNE every pianist needs to be able to play, it’s Happy Birthday. The problem is, everyone sings in a different key, so where should you start?

In my experience the best key is F, which suits most singers. The first chord, interestingly, is not F but C7, which means you can start with a big C7 flourish running up the keyboard to get their attention and they can join in when they’re all ready.

Here are the chords you need:

Remember to pause after the person’s name so they can take a breath for the final phrase.