Want to play songs that will make you the life of the party? Here are ten easy piano songs you can start learning today, even as a beginner player!
Many beginner pianists get stuck playing easy but no-fun songs, like those from a nursery rhyme book. But we believe the fun should start from day one. After all, we didn’t start learning how to play piano to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
The truth is, you don’t need advanced skills to play good songs. You can play these songs right away.
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Starting our list of 10 easy piano songs is “1234” by Feist. It’s so cheery and fun that, quoting Lisa, “You can’t practice this and then be in a bad mood!”
We have a detailed video tutorial available for free that will get you sounding impressive and confident. You’ll also learn a lot about chord theory and reading lead sheets.
Ever wondered what a 7th chord is? Or what D/C# on a lead sheet means? Find out here.
This song has the ability to put a smile on anyone’s face. It’s happy and easygoing, and not too fast (or too slow).
It works perfectly as a simple arrangement but does leave room for fancier improv on top of its basic structure.
Every birthday needs a round of “Happy Birthday” to embarrass the birthday-ee.
Make it an even grander occasion by volunteering as the accompanist for the next birthday you attend.
This simple tutorial will teach you both the melodic line of the song and left-hand accompaniment. And good news: most of the melody can be played in one comfortable hand position with one simple cross-over movement.
The best way to learn music is by playing, not reading. Start off on a good note with our 500 Songs in 5 Days course pack. Free with your Pianote membership.
Coldplay’s classic, “The Scientist,” is majestic yet deceptively simple.
There are only really four main chords, and you can get away with playing the entire song just by mastering the intro.
Our tutorial will introduce you to the four main chords (Dm7, Bb, F, and Fsus2) and their chord shapes. Lisa will also introduce you to inversion chord shapes and what suspended (Fsus2) chords are.
The left-hand sounds beautiful with just simple quarter notes, but once you’re more comfortable, it’s not difficult to play eighth notes in your left hand with the root note.
All in all, this song is a great opportunity to learn some chord theory basics while playing a fulfilling song.
What’s so awesome about pop songs is that you can make them as simple or as complex as you like.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you five different ways to play Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” from beginner-friendly to Elton-John-level advanced.
Start with the basic chords. Then add riffs, then add even fancier riffs. As you get to know a pop song, you’ll get more comfortable with it and feel the urge to venture out of your comfort zone.
> 4 Easy Piano Songs for Beginners
Bruno Mars’ early hit is an extremely rewarding must-play.
It’s catchy, has a positive message, and performing it will surely impress your crush.
What’s more, there are only three chords to worry about — C, G, and Em — and they can all be played on white keys. Learn about them here.
> 3 (Easy) Romantic Piano Songs
For a change of pace, try this romantic classic in 6/8 time, which you can find in our “3 (Easy) Romantic Piano Songs” tutorial.
Here, you’ll learn what slash chords are and how to vibe with triple time.
While this song may sound complex, it’s actually quite simple.
If you’re interested in going further with this song, you can check out our more detailed tutorial in the members-only area.
Find out more about a Pianote membership here.
Hans Zimmer is famous for composing some of the most epic film scores ever.
But epic doesn’t necessarily mean hard! The theme from Interstellar is iconic and grand, but a lot of it is repetitive and built from similar themes and rhythms.
Like “Tiny Dancer,” once you get the basics down, it’s fun to see what you can build from the main theme. Make an arrangement of Interstellar that is uniquely yours!
The Waltz in A Minor is considered to be one of Chopin’s easier compositions. To make Chopin’s music even more accessible, we’ve created simplified versions of the Waltz and two other pieces—Nocturne in E-Flat Major and Prelude in E Minor.
There’s a reason why Chopin’s sound is so closely associated with the piano—it’s beautiful! Use these easy versions as a stepping stone to the real thing, and you’ll be playing original Chopin in no time,
Another instant conversation-starter, “Let It Be” is also in C major so you don’t have to worry about sharps and flats. But this song has the added benefit of introducing you to all the important C Major chords in a fun way.
In our tutorial, Jordan walks you through the fundamentals of music theory, chords, and chord inversions.
He also teaches you how to recognize numerical values for chords.
This is a neat skill to have because it allows you to play the song in different keys (transpose), making it easier to sing along no matter your vocal range.
There is a transition in this song that is a little tougher to master, but it’s relatively short and with a little practice, beginners should be able to master it.
And finishing our list of our 10 easy piano songs is John Lennon’s “Imagine”.
It’s a classic and an instant conversation starter. It’s also not meant to be played fast, so beginners will sound great even when they’re practicing slowly.
This song is also entirely in C major, which means you don’t have to worry about black keys.
The C major root triad, which makes up most of this song, is a very comfortable beginner chord to play. But it’s also not boring.
You’ll be using C as an anchor note while playing the “Imagine” motif, which will definitely get your hands moving across the keyboard.
Our tutorial will get you comfortable with C major as a key, playing triads, and reading sheet music. Check it out here.
As you can see, great-sounding pop songs are not exclusive to the realm of advanced pianists!
In fact, we encourage beginners to play complete songs from day one. It’ll get you hooked on playing piano and encourage you to keep progressing. After all, the whole point of playing the piano is to have fun and sound good.
And these 10 easy piano songs are a great place to start! And when you’re ready for a challenge, check out the hardest piano songs…
Charmaine Li is a Vancouver writer who has played piano for over 20 years. She holds an Associate diploma (ARCT) from the Royal Conservatory of Music and loves writing about the ways in which music—and music learning—affects the human experience. Charmaine manages The Note. Learn more about Charmaine here.
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