How To Play Pop Songs On The Piano: Free Lessons
How to Play ANY Pop Song on the Piano
This lesson shows you how to tackle any pop song. All you need are three things: 1. Chords 2. Chord charts, and 3. Playing by ear.
4 Easy Piano Songs That Are Perfect for Beginners
Play Your First Piano Song In 7 Minutes
Play Hundreds of Songs With Just Four Chords
4 More Songs That Are Perfect For Beginners
Choosing Good Songs To Sing And Play On The Piano Or Keyboard
Some songs are especially suited to accompaniment on the piano. So if you play, its good to know which these are. Its an instrument which can help your voice stand out, provides the perfect melody backing and is ideal if you need background music.
Playing any kind of instrument can make you a better singer, but keys and guitar are the top choices for singers. One of the things it enables you to improve on is your ability to sing harmonies and understand how to build them from scratch.
Unchained Melody The Righteous Brothers
If youre a fan of the film Ghost, youll probably remember this song from the famous pottery scene. But what you may not know is that it was originally written for an unknown prison film called unchained.
It may be an old song, it was initially released in 1955, but its still popular today. Unchained Melody is a beautiful ballad that will test your vocal skills if you want to sing along. Its been covered by a host of different artists who have all tried to replicate the sound of The Righteous Brothers, but we think the original is the best.
The video tutorial includes all the chords that you need for playing piano alongside this classic tune.
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Someone Like You By Adele
While her landmark album 21 was coming together, Adele was inspired to write a piece of music inspired by the difficult breakdown of a long-term relationship. Together with her songwriting collaborator Dan Wilson, she set about describing her experience in music.
The result was Someone Like You, one of the most emotionally charged compositions ever recorded. The track is sparsely arranged, featuring only Adele singing and Wilson accompanying on piano. His part features semiquaver arpeggios in the right hand with a descending gesture in the left.
In Someone Like You, we once again have a song thats unassuming and straightforward in concept. But if anything that just makes it more powerful, more direct. It also makes it a great one to play and sing at the keyboard, even if youre a beginner. Might be hard to hit some of those high notes, though.
If I Aint Got You Alicia Keys
A song that needs very little transcription is If I Aint Got You by Alicia Keys. It was produced in 2003 and has an interesting backstory. Its definitely something you can play for special occasions such as a wedding. You can find this and other wedding piano songs in this post.
This song is entirely piano-based, and the triplet riff is easy to remember. Because that riff is a sequence you can use the same finger pattern of pinky, index, and thumb and just move down by intervals of a second.
To accompany that introductory sequence are downward stepping notes in the left hand. When combined with the right hand, this creates a series of seventh chords in stepwise motion. The left-hand starts with C followed by B A G in the bass line. The hands take those same chords and move them back up in the reverse.
The song eventually settles in G minor and moves along pretty consistently. Start with a G major chord, followed by E minor, A minor, and D major. The transition at the end of the verse is a simple move of G A B and back down to A.
When the chorus enters, the same sequence and chord structure from the introduction returns. The song ends with a doubling of the chorus, and then a repeat of the introduction again.
This is a really fun song thats easy to learn. Not only is it easy to remember, but it also has some more advanced piano technique involved with the triplets int he right hand. Its a soulful song that everyone will enjoy!
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What To Look For In Beginner Piano Songs
If you want to look for easy piano songs to impress without going over your skills, here are some helpful qualities to look for:
- Repetitive parts
- Not jumping around with your hands
- Songs that can be simplified
- Repeated left hand parts
- Single line right hand parts
All of the songs on this list have these elements to some degree.
Livin On A Prayer By Bon Jovi
If you can avoid singing along as you learn to play Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, you must have a strong mentality. This song from the 1980s was big then and even bigger now. Because it tells a story, it features a lot of repetitive verses. But it is the bombastic chorus with its catchy lines that will steal the show.
This is a good pop song for beginners because it has a steady rhythm and notes despite its fast pace. You can play the main parts of the song with about six or seven notes. Worry about the chords last because the most impressive part of this song to others will be the familiar melody that they can sing along to.
Also Check: Songs To Learn On Piano For Beginners
I Just Cant Wait To Be King
Another Disney tune worth looking into is I Just Cant Wait To Be King form the Lion King movies. While there are a lot of great arrangements of this one available, my favorite is from the Faber piano books.
This version is written in C major, but it holds true to the original tune. The rhythms are a bit simplified as this is an intermediate level book. Everything is reduced to either quarter notes for the most part.
There are some occasional E flats that do appear. In a few areas, there are also eighth notes and tied rhythms. While this version does not feature as much syncopation as the record, it still sounds great and its easy to play.
Seven Easy Popular Songs To Play On Piano For Adult Beginners
For the older adult beginners, here is a list of a few favorite songs to play on the piano that you may recognize. Each song offers a different way to apply the various chords in an easy-to-play manner. Some songs are more rock and roll-based while others still have that pop genre feel.
This wonderfully calming jazz tune is easy to play and great for practicing piano chords.
2.) Stand Me,
A beautiful tune that is also very easy to play.
A cool song to play on the piano that has a very easy-to-play tempo. The notes are simple and repetitive, which is excellent for beginners who need to get the hang of the basics.
A lovely tune that is reasonably easy to learn and play.
5.) Imagine,
This great tune offers a steady tempo and repetitive chord practice.
6.) Let It Be,
A great song to play that has a reasonable tempo and significant usage of piano chords.
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Vanessa Carlton A Thousand Miles
A Thousand Miles probably has the most well-known piano part of all modern pop songs. The notes are very repetitive which makes the whole song easy for beginners. However, you will need to exercise your finger flexibility to get the right finesse for the music. Carlton made use of chord harmonies which are incredibly simple and these repeat for the whole song.
Another new skill will be learned if you decide to take on this song. The rhythm is what is referred to as syncopated and this is something that is a well-used technique in popular music. By dividing up the song into sections and counting out the rhythm for each part, you should be able to nail the song in just a few attempts.
Easy Piano Pop Songs For Beginners
Pop music is great fun to play on the piano. You can lose yourself in the songs and imagine yourself as the next Taylor Swift.
Add a selection of these easy piano songs to your repertoire, and it wont be long before youre wowing your friends and family with your piano playing prowess.
All the songs included in the list have a video of someone playing the song, and some include a chord sheet or lead sheet.
If youve never used a lead sheet before, it provides the basic structure of the song. You play the chords with your left hand and the melody with your right hand. Use a lead sheet as a guide, and with a little practice, youll soon be creating your own versions of your favorite songs.
Our list of easy piano pop songs is designed to give you the confidence to play the popular songs that we all love, some of which weve grown up listening to. If this is why you wanted to play the piano in the first place, you are going to have so much fun playing pop songs from across the decades.
The best of it is, you dont even need to read sheet music. The lead and chord sheets will give you all the information you need to play everyones favorite pop songs.
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The Entertainer By Scott Joplin
The Entertainer by Scott Joplin is an upbeat ragtime piece rooted in syncopation and fast-paced leaps. Ragtime is a jaunty genre that thrived in the 19th and 20th centuries, and preceded jazz and the blues. This piece is best described as funit refuses to remain unmoving, constantly in motion around the piano and in the air, the sound never staying in rhythm or rhyme for too long before it shifts.
The best part about this song is that despite the intimidating sound and complicated syncopation, its actually not that difficult to learn. Id recommend you dont make it your first or second piece, but I believe an amateur who practices regularly could master this with no problem. I would definitely recommend having a great sense of rhythm before you attempt it, though.
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Gary Jules And Michael Andrews
Tears for Fears first recorded this song in 1982 for their album The Hurting. In 2001, composer Michael Andrews recorded a cover version for the soundtrack for 1980s-set sci-fi drama Donnie Darko, with vocals from friend Gary Jules.
It is a stripped down cover with just an electronic piano backing. It later became the surprise Christmas number one in the UK in 2003.
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Marc Cohnwalking In Memphis
Carly Simon originally discovered Marc Cohn and soon after, he won a Grammy for best new artist in 1991. “Walking in Memphis” was written by Cohn after watching an inspirational sermon given by Al Green. A song dedicated to the kindered spirit he felt to a beautiful city and goes on to paint a portrait that takes you along on a vivid journey.
Im Still Standing Elton John
Im Still Standing is a song written by the famous pianist and singer Elton John and taken from the album Too Low for Zero released in 1983.
Its a piano pop rock song that is very soft to listen to.
The song was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing and the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography.
Most recently, it was chosen to be part of the soundtrack for the animated movie Sing.
You can discover more of the artists songs in our article on the best Elton Johns songs to play on the piano.
If you want access the piano sheet music or the midi file of the song Im Still Standing, please feel free to .
Piano pop songs with letters: learn I'm Still Standing with La Touche Musicale.
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Shallow A Star Is Born
Described as a power ballad combined with a blend of rock, country, and folk-pop, theres not a dry eye in the house when Lady Gaga belts this turn out alongside her co-star Bradley Cooper. And who knew that Bradley Cooper could sing?
The song topped the charts in 20 countries and everyone fell in love with Gaga who use the song to demonstrate her incredible vocal range.
So if you fancy yourself as the next Gaga, pull up your piano stool and prepare to bash out this highly emotive song.
The tutorial for this easy piano song is pitched at the more experienced piano player but is enjoyable and straightforward to play. Give it a go. You may surprise yourself, and remember to take a look at the lead sheet.
Robbie Williams Shes The One
This song can easily be played by a brand new pianist. It is slow and simple, with lots of space between the different phrases, making it one of the best types of songs for you to learn the basics, and not get confused or flustered.
Tips on playing the song
- Can be played in the key of C major
- Played with the time signature of 4/4
- The bass notes play only at the beginning of each measure
- There are just nine piano chords used in the whole song
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Bruno Mars When I Was Your Man
Taken from Bruno Mars album Unorthodox, released in 2012, When I Was Your Man is one of the most popular piano pop songs.
Its catchy rhythm makes it a dynamic music. The melody of this title is inspired by jazz songs on piano.
When I Was Your Man is a very easy piano song. If you are a beginner, it will suit you perfectly.
When I Was Your Man is also part of our ranking of the best piano songs to play with chords.
If you want access the piano sheet music or the midi file of the song When I Was Your Man, please feel free to .
Piano pop songs: learn When I Was Your Man with La Touche Musicale.
Learn easily the pop song When I Was Your Man on piano with La Touche Musicale app.
Lewis Capaldi Someone You Loved
This soulful song by Lewis Capaldi is in the key of C, making it straightforward to play. As you can see, it has five chords, but Dm is played only once.
Someone You Loved is a simple piano ballad, and its a great song that clearly struck a nerve with people as it topped the UK chart for seven weeks. Capaldi was also the first Scottish solo artist to top the US chart since Sheena Easton in 1981.
What is it about breaking up that makes artists want to sit down and play a sad song on the piano? Well, you can, too, with the easy video tutorial and lead sheet.
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Top Modern Songs To Play On The Piano
Following is a list of familiar pop songs in their piano covers. Each song offers the beginner a chance to practice the piano chords and various piano skills they have learned. All of these songs below are reasonably popular songs that should be easy to recognize once you get the hang of playing them.
The tempos of some songs may seem harder to play. You can always go slow to get the hang of playing the songs or sections with which you may struggle. If you feel unsure of how to play the song, there are plenty of online tutorials both through the various piano programs and actual people teaching the piano keystrokes.
1.) Counting Stars,The tempo of the original song may seem slightly hard, but the chords are uncomplicated and repetitive.
2.) Radioactive,
This song may seem hard at first due to the tempo, and there is more movement with both hands to play each note. This tune offers fun repetitive chords that are easy to sing along too.
3.) Hello,
An easy tune to play for beginners. The tempo is already fairly slow and has repetitive piano chords throughout the song.
4.) Clocks,
This a cool song to play on the piano because it sounds great when played slowly and at regular tempo. The notes are repetitive, which is another plus to this great song.
5.) Faded,
Another excellent song for beginners because the tempo is already slow. The notes are simple and repetitive along with the chords.
7.) See You Again,Puth
Someone Like You Adele
Someone Like You is a song by the famous artist Adele, released in 2011 in her album 21.
The beautiful voice of the singer and the emotion of the melody make it one of the most appreciated piano songs in pop music. This type of music has also greatly influenced the art of animated movies, such as Disney music, which increasingly includes pop culture in the soundtracks of their movies.
Someone Like You has been nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography.
If you want access the piano sheet music or the midi file of the song Someone Like You, please feel free to .
Best piano pop songs: learn Someone Like You with La Touche Musicale.
Learn easily the pop song Someone Like You on piano with La Touche Musicale app.
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The Boomtown Ratsi Don’t Like Mondays
Bob Geldof wrote “I Don’t Like Mondays” after overhearing the news in a local radio station while doing an interview. The song goes on to describe the mindset of a 16-year-old girl, Brenda Spencer, from San Diego, who chose to skip school, but then return to her high school, to aimlessly open fire with a loaded rifle.
Killing two and injuring nine, she preceded to lead the police into a long drawn-out standoff. When finally asked, “Why?” she was quoted as saying, “I just started shooting, that’s it. I just did it for the fun of it. I just don’t like Monday’s.” Spencer’s family tried to sue the Boomtown Rats and put a halt to it’s airplay, and obvioiusly lost.
