The piano can be one of the most rewarding instruments for a beginner.
It's easy to master and anyone can produce beautiful sounds on it without too much training - unlike, say, the violin (conversely, one of the hardest instruments to learn), where learners have to put in a few dozen hours before they start to sound consistently pleasing.
And of course, there are some great songs out there for beginners (and improvers) to test their skills on. With that in mind, here is our selection of some of the most easy songs to learn on the piano.
Easy piano songs
1. Happy Birthday
Not for nothing is 'Happy Birthday' one of the world's best-known and best-loved melodies. Of course, the fact that it's sung on joyous occasions is part of its appeal: but it also owes its popularity to the fact that it's also one of the easiest songs to play on the piano.
The Guinness Book of World Records tells us that 'Happy Birthday' is the most recognised song in the English language (second place, since you ask, goes to 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow'). The tune comes from the song 'Good Morning to All', traditionally attributed to American sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill in 1893.
'Happy Birthday' has had some famous performances - perhaps none more so than Marilyn Monroe's, sung to American U.S. President John F. Kennedy in May 1962. Elsewhere, pianist and comedian Victor Borge famously used to play the familiar melody in the styles of various composers. On other occasions, he would start out playing Beethoven's 'Moonlight' Sonata before effortlessly transitioning into 'Happy Birthday'. Have a listen below - we defy you not to laugh.
2. Jingle Bells
You're probably very familiar with this festive classic: but did you know its origins? The song was created by American composer James Lord Pierpont, as a Thanksgiving song in 1857. It's now a favourite the world ever, cropping up in shopping centres, on doorsteps, at children’s carol concerts and much more.
We named 'Jingle Bells' one of the best Christmas songs of all time. Oh, and it also made the cut for our list of best Christmas piano music. We're also including it here right at the top of our list of easy piano songs.
3. Ode to Joy by Beethoven
The famous melody from the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the 'Ode to Joy' is one of the most recognizable and uplifting pieces of classical music ever written. Composed in 1824, the melody is based on Friedrich Schiller’s poem 'An die Freude' (Ode to Joy), which celebrates unity, peace, and brotherhood. You can find the lyrics to the 'Ode to Joy' elsewhere on our site.
And the good news for us here is that the 'Ode to Joy' is an easy tune to play on the piano. Why? Well, it mainly uses a right-hand melody with simple, stepwise motion (mostly moving up or down one note at a time. You can play with one hand before adding the left-hand accompaniment later.
Better still, it’s usually in the key of C major, so there are no tricky sharps or flats. And the rhythm is straightforward, with mostly quarter and half notes. Result: as easy as it is joyous.
4. Let It Be by The Beatles
This Beatles classic is a nicely manageable number - whether for an a cappella choir, solo pianist, or piano and voice combination.
'Let It Be' owes some of its enormous popularity to its very recognisable, four-chord progression. That progression (1-5-6-4, for example C major-G major-A minor-F major) crops up in many other classics including Bob Marley's 'No Woman No Cry', Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin', Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face' and 'With or Without You' by U2.
5. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The much-loved lullaby 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' is now more than 200 years old. It was written in 1806 by poet Jane Taylor and first published in Jane and her sister Ann's book Rhymes for the Nursery. Its tune is the late 18th-century French melody 'Ah! vous dirai-je, maman' which has been used for a number of different songs. Mozart also used it in his Twelve Variations on 'Ah vous dirai-je, Maman'.
In short, 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' is one of the most popular nursery rhymes out there. It's also, happily for our purposes here, one of the easiest tunes to play, relying on three simple melodies played in a ABCCAB repetition. In fact, learning this simple but attractive tune would make a great way of getting your child into music.
More easy piano songs
6. Canon in D by Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D is one of the most beautiful and recognizable classical pieces, but its difficulty on piano depends on the version you're playing.
Many simplified arrangements exist, often focusing on the famous chord progression with a simple melody on top. If you're a beginner, you can find sheet music that makes it accessible. Then again, the original piece was composed for strings, so a full piano transcription with all the moving lines and harmonies can be quite challenging, especially for beginners. It requires hand independence - and some fast finger work.
Given this, if you're just starting out, we recommend learning a simplified arrangement first (see example below), and working your way up!
7. Hallelujah
Originally penned in 1984 by the great Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, 'Hallelujah' is a wonderful song - a hauntingly simple and insistent melody, overlaid with some truly moving lyrics. Small wonder it's been covered hundreds of times since - most notably by John Cale, formerly of The Velvet Underground, in 1991 and by Jeff Buckley in 1994.
The good news for us here is that it's one of those delightfully easy songs to learn on the piano.
8. Imagine by John Lennon
John Lennon's seminal 1971 peace-love-and-understanding manifesto makes a great easy piano piece. For one thing, the verses have a nice easy chord progression in the C major key, with the bottom C always anchoring the progress the rest of the right hand. Better still, the left hand's bass line (a sequence of C to F in repetition) could hardly be easier.
Not forgetting, of course, that it's such a well-known and much-loved song that there will always be someone ready to take on singing duties.
9. Lean On Me by Bill Withers
Another much-covered classic, Bill Withers' eloquent 1972 single 'Lean On Me' has a nice shifting chord progression that's actually fairly easy to get on top of.
Start in the key of C major, and you'll find yourself mostly using the C major scale - E, G, C - both up and down the keyboard.
As well as being one of the great easy piano songs out there, 'Lean On Me' also has the advantage of being one of the most uplifting songs in the musical firmament.
Easy piano songs: let's end with something slightly more challenging...
10. Clocks by Coldplay
We're going to sign off with a song that you might want to build up to over the first few months of your piano learning journey. 'Clocks', the haunting 2003 classic by British band Coldplay, can be relatively easy to play, especially if you focus on the iconic repeating arpeggiated riff in the right hand.
The main riff follows a simple pattern (D flat–A flat–E flat) that repeats throughout much of the song. The left-hand chords are straightforward and mostly consist of broken chords, where you're playing one note at a time rather than having to quickly coordinate. And the rhythm is repetitive, making it easier to get comfortable with over time.
There are a couple of elements, though, that add a (we'd say exciting) level of challenge. For example, 'Clocks' is in D flat major, which has five flats - so there are a lot of black notes, so can be challenging for beginners. And the song's syncopated rhythm (an off-beat feel) may take a little practice to master.
