Do you dream of captivating listeners with your piano skills, even if you’re just starting out?
It might seem like a distant goal, but playing impressive beginner piano songs and popular tunes is absolutely within your reach. The secret lies in choosing songs that are easy to learn yet sound sophisticated.
This is why this curated list of 25 easy piano songs is invaluable. These songs sound complicated but are surprisingly simple to learn, and this list is regularly updated to ensure you have the best options available.
According to research from Peter Jutras, mastering the piano brings a powerful sense of accomplishment and boosts self-confidence. This rewarding experience extends to other instruments as well, such as the ukulele or even learning drums.
Learning a repertoire of easy piano songs is a significant step forward in your musical journey. Keep reading to discover our guide to 25 simple piano songs perfect for beginners.
What To Look For In Beginner Piano Songs
If your aim is to find easy piano songs that impress without exceeding your current skill level, here are key characteristics to consider:
- Repetitive Parts: Songs with repeating sections make learning easier as you master patterns that occur multiple times.
- Simple Chord Progressions: Basic chord sequences are the foundation of easy songs, allowing you to focus on rhythm and melody.
- Arpeggios (Broken Chords): Arpeggiated chords, where notes are played individually rather than simultaneously, can add complexity to the sound without increasing difficulty.
- Driving Rhythms: Songs with a strong, consistent rhythm are often easier to follow and learn.
- Minimal Hand Movement: Songs that don’t require your hands to jump across the keyboard are more manageable for beginners.
- Simplifiable Arrangements: Songs that can be simplified without losing their essence are ideal for learners.
- Repeated Left-Hand Parts: Consistent left-hand patterns provide a solid foundation and simplify coordination.
- Single-Line Right-Hand Melodies: Melodies that primarily focus on a single note line are easier to learn than complex, harmonized melodies.
Every song on this list incorporates these elements to varying degrees, making them perfect for beginner piano players.
25 Easy Piano Songs
Let’s explore 25 simple piano songs that are guaranteed to impress. For some songs, we’ve included links to YouTube tutorials for extra guidance, helping you find the perfect song to match your taste and skill level.
Note: Each beginner piano song is rated for “difficulty” and “impressiveness” on a scale of 1 to 10. Lower difficulty scores combined with higher impress scores are what you’re looking for!
Katy Perry – Roar
With over three billion views on YouTube, “Roar” stands as Katy Perry’s most iconic song. If you enjoy a rhythmic challenge, this song is an excellent choice for beginner piano players.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 8/10
Play the full song with solfeg.io app.
Deep Blue Something – Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Even two decades after its Billboard chart peak, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something retains its charm. This pop-rock classic is a fantastic choice for beginner pianists. Enlist a friend to sing the vocals while you play this well-loved song.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 7/10
Play the full song with solfeg.io app.
Justin Bieber – Sorry
“Sorry” by Justin Bieber is built on a simple four-chord structure, making it accessible for beginners. While the chords are straightforward, the syncopated rhythm presents a slight rhythmic challenge that is engaging to learn.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 9/10
Play the full song with solfeg.io app.
Imagine Dragons – Believer
While “Believer” by Imagine Dragons is known for its intense vocals, the true powerhouse of this song is its drum part. For those interested in mastering triplet rhythms, this track is an excellent starting point on the piano.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 8/10
Play the full song with solfeg.io app.
#1 Chopsticks
Few beginner piano songs are as universally recognized as “Chopsticks.” Although widely known, it still has the power to impress those unfamiliar with playing it. This is a quintessential easy piano piece.
Difficulty: 1/10
Impress: 5/10
#2 Für Elise – Beethoven
Similarly iconic, Beethoven’s “Für Elise” is a hallmark of piano playing. It’s one of the most recognizable piano pieces ever composed.
Fun fact: Beethoven composed this piece to impress a woman.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 8/10
#3 Heart and Soul – Hoagy Carmichael
“Heart and Soul” is a fun, easy, and collaborative beginner piano song, perfect for playing with a duet partner.
From an educational perspective, this song is valuable for teaching chord progressions, as the bass part simply cycles through the standard I-vi-IV-V progression.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 6/10
#4 Swan Lake Theme – Tchaikovsky
Thanks to movies like “Black Swan” and children’s shows like “Little Einsteins,” Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, “Swan Lake,” and its recognizable melody have widespread appeal.
The main theme is quite simple to play, yet its beautiful, flowing melody allows for expressive playing and showcasing your emotional interpretation.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 7/10
#5 Let It Be – The Beatles
When it comes to pop songs on piano, Paul McCartney’s memorable intro to “Let It Be” may require some initial practice. However, once you grasp the pattern, it flows naturally from your fingers.
Loved by generations for over 50 years, this song’s meaningful message and simple yet beautiful tune are enduringly captivating.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 9/10
#6 The Git Up – Blanco Brown
Few songs achieve instant classic status, but “The Git Up” is one of them. Its melody is so simple and repetitive that it becomes incredibly catchy and easy to learn on the piano.
As a pop piano song, its repetitive structure means that mastering one section essentially means learning the entire song.
When learning this song, using tutorials and practicing with tools like Solfeg.io’s songbook, where you can control speed and loop sections, is highly effective.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 10/10
#7 Lean On Me – Bill Withers
Bill Withers’ anthem of support, “Lean On Me,” is another crowd-pleaser. Almost everyone recognizes at least the chorus and can identify the song from its opening chords.
Listening to the original piano recording might make you question its “easy” rating. However, playing basic chords and rhythms effectively captures the song’s essence.
For more advanced beginners, incorporating some of the melodic fills between chord changes can add extra flair.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 8/10
#8 Clocks – Coldplay
The intro to “Clocks” by Coldplay might initially sound daunting for a new piano player. However, the underlying pattern is surprisingly repetitive once broken down.
By slowing it down and gradually increasing tempo, learning this song can be achieved in just a few hours. Reaching full speed may take longer, but even at a slightly slower pace, it’s still impressive to play for others. This song is also excellent for piano duets.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 10/10
#9 All My Life – KC & Jojo
Similar to “Clocks,” “All My Life” sounds complex initially. Yet, once past the introduction, playing the basic chords alone sounds fantastic on the piano.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 9/10
#10 Let It Go – Frozen
Despite possibly seeming less popular with children now, “Let It Go” from Frozen remains a captivating song. It’s still a hit with younger audiences, who will often sing along when it’s played.
“Let It Go” has lasting appeal, and its piano part is iconic. The chords are simple, but you can challenge yourself with different chord voicings for added depth.
The Solfeg.io songbook is also a helpful tool for practicing this song.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 9/10 (actual impressiveness), though kids might jokingly rate it lower (6/10).
#11 What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
“What A Wonderful World” has stood for decades as one of the greatest songs ever written. It’s also one of those simple piano songs that grows with your increasing piano skills.
The chords are interesting yet standard, and numerous online tutorials offer various ways to play them.
Even playing the basic chords sounds beautiful, and as you improve, you can add more intricate elements to enhance the performance.
Difficulty: 2/10
Impress: 7/10
#12 Prelude in C Major, BWV 846 from The Well-Tempered Clavier – J.S. Bach
Going back to classical music, J.S. Bach wrote this Prelude as a beginner piano piece. This Prelude uses a very simple chord progression and breaks it down into arpeggios.
Intended as a practice tool for arpeggiation (playing chords note by note), it’s simply beautiful to listen to. The way Bach arranges the chords and arpeggios makes it sound more complex than it actually is.
Difficulty: 2.5/10
Impress: 8/10
#13 Prelude in E minor, Opus 28, No. 4 – Chopin
Similar to Bach’s Prelude, Chopin’s Prelude in E minor uses beautiful chords over a simple melody. While slightly more challenging than Bach’s, it’s still attainable with practice.
It also provides an opportunity to express emotion and make the piece sound more profound than its technical demands suggest.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 7/10
#14 To a Wild Rose – Edward MacDowell
The classic tune “To a Wild Rose” involves more hand movement, making it a good beginner piano song for those progressing to more complex pieces. It’s also widely recognized.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 7/10
#15 Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley’s timeless “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It features an interesting chord progression and provides excellent practice for arpeggiating chords.
This song is available in Solfeg.io’s songbook, which is particularly helpful for practicing chord changes accurately.
Difficulty: 2/10
Impress: 8/10
#16 The Entertainer – Scott Joplin
It’s not just pop songs that can be easy and impressive. Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” like “Marry You,” can be adapted to suit various skill levels.
As one of the most iconic piano pieces ever written, “The Entertainer” has numerous arrangements for different abilities. Simply find one that matches your level.
Difficulty: Ranging from 2 to 6, depending on the arrangement.
Impress: 9/10
#17 Canon in D – Pachelbel
Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” is renowned for its beauty. Learning to play it on piano presents a slight challenge, but the result is quite impressive.
The left hand maintains a repeating pattern throughout nearly the entire piece, making it relatively easy to master. Then, you can learn as much of the right-hand part as you are ready for.
For teachers, this song is excellent for developing left-hand independence because it moves independently yet repeats consistently.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 8/10
#18 Ave Maria – Schubert
Schubert’s “Ave Maria” is legendary in the music world. Even if you don’t recognize the title, you’ll likely know it instantly when you hear it.
For the piano, it sounds far more complex than it is. The chord arpeggios are quite formulaic, with a stunning melody floating above them in the right hand.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 7/10
#19 Yesterday – The Beatles
Another Beatles classic (only two are on this list!), “Yesterday” is a simple piano song that sounds much more intricate than it actually is. Originally written for guitar, it translates beautifully to the piano.
From a teaching perspective, the broken chords in “Yesterday” are excellent for practicing chord shapes and progressions, similar to Bach’s Prelude mentioned earlier.
Difficulty: 2/10
Impress: 7/10
#20 The Addams Family Theme
With the popularity of Halloween, the Addams Family theme song is surprisingly well-loved across age groups. The opening piano riff is instantly catchy, prompting finger-snapping from listeners of all ages.
Whether you play just the chords or more intricate parts, this song is simply fun. Additionally, Solfeg.io includes it in their songbook to aid practice.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 8/10
#21 All That Jazz – Chicago
You might not immediately recognize “All That Jazz,” but its catchy piano part will quickly become memorable. If you progress beyond the basic accompaniment to include some of the fill parts, your audience will be thoroughly impressed.
Difficulty: 4/10
Impress: 9/10
#22 All of Me – John Legend
John Legend’s romantic ballad “All of Me” features a driving syncopated rhythm. The chord progression is also unique, moving beyond standard chord structures.
While the chord progression is different, it remains within a familiar harmonic realm. Even better, the chord voicings are arranged so that finger movements between chords are minimal in both hands.
Difficulty: 2/10
Impress: 7/10
#23 Marry You – Bruno Mars
Pop songs on piano hold a unique place in a pianist’s repertoire. Some patterns can be technically challenging, while the underlying chords are often simple.
“Marry You” by Bruno Mars exemplifies this. You can achieve an impressive sound with basic chord ideas and later challenge yourself with the song’s more complex elements.
Difficulty: 2/10 (simplified version), 5/10 (full version)
Impress: 8/10
#24 My Heart Will Go On – Titanic
This Grammy Award-winning song from the movie “Titanic” is sure to resonate with anyone who hears it. While younger students might not instantly recognize it, parents certainly will.
The chords and voicings are quite simple compared to the impressive impact of the song.
Difficulty: 3/10
Impress: 8/10
#25 Stitches – Shawn Mendes
“Stitches” by Shawn Mendes is a popular favorite among students. With the right resources, “Stitches” is not hard to play, and Solfeg.io can be a valuable tool in learning it.
Difficulty: 3.5/10
Impress: 9/10
Conclusion
Hopefully, this list of 25 easy piano songs that sound complicated but are actually accessible has been helpful. It might seem ambitious now, but with the right song choices and helpful tools like Solfeg.io, learning to play impressive piano pieces is achievable.
Solfeg.io can assist you in playing along with high-quality song covers, allowing you to adjust the speed or loop challenging sections. It’s an invaluable practice tool for any musician.
Written by Zach VanderGraaff
