25 Easy Piano Songs By Genre (+ Video Tutorials)
When learning to play the piano, scales and chords are vital to master. That said, learning to play songs is another key method in developing as a player. Being able to replicate the rhythms and chord progressions of recognizable songs is a great way to improve your piano playing.
This article will cover 25 different songs that are simple and beneficial to learn how to play. These songs will range in difficulty, as well as genre and style, giving you a good range of material to practice and eventually master.
Table Of Contents
Traditional Songs
1. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”
This song is an obvious choice given both how simple it is and how it is universally recognizable. It is just a simple melody, with no chords, and is great for memorizing the notes and rhythm of a basic melodic line. It is also in the key of C, meaning that you only have to play the white keys.
Check out this video tutorial:
2. “Heart and Soul”
Like the previous tune, this song is a timeless classic that is one of the go-to songs to learn on piano. It has an extremely recognizable melody, which will help you as you’re learning, and also incorporates some chord progressions, forcing you to play with both hands at the same time. It is slightly more difficult than “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” but as you are improving you should be learning increasingly challenging music.
Check out this video tutorial:
3. “Jingle Bells”
There are few, if any, more recognizable holiday songs than “Jingle Bells.” It’s straightforward, only requiring one hand to play, and has a melody that is both iconic and easy to memorize. This is a good tune to practice rhythm as there is some syncopation in the melody.
Check out this video tutorial:
4. “Hot Cross Buns”
“Hot Cross Buns” might just be the easiest song you’ll learn on the piano. It is in the key of C, like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and only requires three notes. That said, it has a recognizable melody that is easy to mimic and is something to learn and give you confidence as you start your piano journey.
Check out this video tutorial:
5. “Hallelujah”
This song is a classic, often covered tune that is great to learn. It is a step up in difficulty from the previous songs, but it is still quite manageable and fun to play. It requires you to use both hands how you would with many piano songs, left hand harmony and right hand melody, which will be a crucial technique for you to learn.
Check out this video tutorial:
6. “Happy Birthday”
Another song that everyone knows, “Happy Birthday” is another nice and simple melody to learn. Because it is so well-known, it is helpful to be able to play this by ear and sing along as you play. As you’ll see in the video below, this song is a good way to practice playing a melody using both hands, with your fingers on the correct keys.
Check out this video tutorial:
Classic Songs
7. “Fur Elise”
“Fur Elise” is an iconic classical piece by Beethoven that is a universally known song. It isn’t terribly difficult, but it does need you to use both hands for melody and harmony. There are a few changes throughout the piece that offer a good challenge. It is a fun song to learn that is also a great tune to be able to perform in front of friends and family as well.
Check out this video tutorial:
8. “Prelude in C Major”
This song by Bach is a pretty song that is worthwhile for a beginning player to learn. It is a similar difficulty level to “Fur Elise” and is a rather melodic piece, most of the work will be done on your right hand while the left covers a few harmonic notes. It also contains some notes in the melody that are a bit far apart, helping you practice stretching and reaching more distant notes as you play.
Check out this video tutorial:
9. “Clair de Lune”
“Clair de Lune” is a very famous piece by Debussy that happens to also be an awesome song to learn on piano. It has a rather simple melody on the right, but the chords played on the left are a bit more busy than the previous songs on this list with harmonic parts. The harmony requires you to play chords with multiple fingers on your left while also playing the melody on your right.
Check out this video tutorial:
10. “Ave Maria”
While this song is more famously performed by vocalists, “Ave Maria” is a great tune to learn on piano because it is fairly easy while also improving your dexterity. This song doesn’t have many chords, but the melody will change from being played on higher-pitched notes with your right hand to lower-pitched notes with your left. This is great for practicing hand independence.
Check out this video tutorial:
11. “Moonlight Sonata”
“Moonlight Sonata” is another wildly famous composition by Beethoven that sounds beautiful and will be beneficial to learn. Similarly to “Ave Maria,” the melody will switch from your right hand to your left, as will the harmony part. This type of playing is crucial in improving your hand dexterity and independence.
Check out this video tutorial:
12. “Swan Lake”
This piece by Tchaikovsky is slightly more challenging than the other classical songs on the list, but it is still very learnable. It features a good range of chords played on the left and a relatively busy melody on the right, posing a proper challenge while still being a manageable feat.
Check out this video tutorial:
13. “Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2”
“Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2” is an awesome song to learn. It has a pretty, measured melody that is great practice for rhythmic expression. You are also playing relatively simple chords while playing the melody. This song has some changes throughout, but overall is fairly easy to learn.
Check out this video tutorial:
Pop Songs
14. “Let it Be”
“Let it Be” by The Beatles is an awesome song to learn because of its simplicity and memorable progression. You’re essentially playing the same four chords the whole time, while keeping the melody going on your right hand.
Check out this video tutorial:
15. “Havana”
“Havana” has a lot to offer for a beginner pianist. It’s a fun song with a chord progression and melody that is easy and enjoyable to play. The harmony also features some syncopation which can be a good challenge to work on.
Check out this video tutorial:
16. “Imagine”
One of the most famous pop songs out there, “Imagine” by John Lennon is highly recognizable and beneficial to learn as a pianist. It contains many chords played on the left hand and a straightforward melody played with your right hand. There are also a few pickup notes you have to play on your left in between chords that is a fun challenge as well.
Check out this video tutorial:
17. “Lean on Me”
This is a great tune by Bill Withers that you should absolutely learn. There is a mix between both hands playing the melody, then switching to harmonic notes on your left hand, and so on. There are several changes and variations throughout the song that will be great for you to memorize and play.
Check out this video tutorial:
18. “Just The Way You Are”
This pretty song by Bruno Mars is a good one to learn due to its somewhat complex higher-end parts. Throughout the tune you are mostly playing the same four notes on your left hand, but on your right you will be playing a melody that also has chords sprinkled in, providing a small degree of difficulty.
Check out this video tutorial:
19. “Clocks”
This is a fairly simple and easy song to learn by Coldplay, but it does offer a few valuable things. Mainly, it introduces you to arpeggiated chords, meaning chords where you play each note individually, one after the other. There are also a few changes throughout that will help your memorization skills.
Check out this video tutorial:
20. “Hey There Delilah”
One of the most popular romantic songs of the early 2000s, this song is absolutely worth learning due to its melody. You are playing the vocal part on your right hand, which will help your ear training massively if you are singing the song out loud or in your head while you are playing it on the piano.
Check out this video tutorial:
21. “Blinding Lights”
Apart from being an extremely catchy song by the Weeknd, “Blinding Lights” is good for a beginning pianist to learn because it exposes you to both major and minor chords as you go through the melody. It is also good practice for quickening your fingers because the melody is a bit fast.
Check out this video tutorial:
22. “Believer”
This song by Imagine Dragons is an interesting tune to learn. It is in a different time signature than the typical 4/4 as it is in 12/8, giving the song a triplet feel. It also, like “Blinding Lights”, requires you to play repeated notes very quickly, which is obviously great for practice.
Check out this video tutorial:
23. “All of Me”
“All of Me” is clearly a great song, one of John Legend’s most famous. It also contains a chord progression that many pop songs use, making this a great one to master. There is also a gorgeous melody that will be very helpful to memorize.
Check out this video tutorial:
24. “Stay”
This Rihanna song is covered often and is a great one to have in your repertoire in case you want to accompany a singer. It also is great practice for switching from chord to chord smoothly without hitting any wrong notes.
Check out this video tutorial:
25. “Interstellar Main Theme”
The theme for “Interstellar” by Hans Zimmer is one of the most covered piano scores. It also sounds beautiful and is quite simple to play. The chords are rather minimal, and while there are a few changes involving some fast notes, it is a highly manageable piece of music to learn and impress your friends and family.
Check out this video tutorial:
What’s Next?
These 25 songs are a great starting point for you on your piano playing journey. However, it shouldn’t take you terribly long to learn these, especially the simplified versions that are in many of these tutorial videos.
Once you master these songs, dig deeper and begin learning the advanced versions, particularly the classical pieces as they have more complicated chord progressions and melodies compared to pop music.
The more songs you learn, the better your playing will be and the more you will be able to impress all your friends and family. Good luck!
