Easy songs for piano: pieces for beginners by level
From "Au clair de la lune" to Satie: piano pieces and songs ordered at four levels, with each training and how to choose a good arrangement.
To start with his piano, the best pieces are melodies that fit into a single place of his hand, such as "Au clair de la lune" or Beethoven's "hymnus a la juego." Each of them has some concrete training: a fixed place, hands together, changes of place, pedal or velocity.
Here you have them sorted up at four levels, and some popular songs that are performed with chords. We do not include complete letters and scores: the classic pieces of the list are public and you will find editions for students in methods and score libraries.
To sum up
- The first pieces should fit into a five-finger position and be touched with one hand at a time.
- The Minute at Sun and the Schumann Youth Album are the classic step to their hands together.
- To complete "for elisa" isn't for beginners and its main section can be reached after a few months.
- He chooses a piece for what he's teaching you, and not just how famous he is.
- A good arrangement has written digitation, few alterations and a range that doesn't force you to leap across the keyboard.
Level 1: first few weeks, one hand at a time
| Pieza | Origen | What's his job? |
|---|---|---|
| "Au clair de la lune" | French traditional song | The first sentence uses only Do, re and Mi and the central part forces to move his hand for the first time |
| "hymn to joy" | Beethoven, theme of the Ninth Symphony | Do's neighbouring notes and a single note goes out and asks for a small setting |
| “Estrellita” | Traditional French Melody and Mozart wrote about her | Do to Sun and First Note Out of Position (La) |
| "Happy birthday to you." | Popular Melody | Anacrusa, 3 / 4 and an octave leap |
Do not confuse "Au clair de la lune" with Debussy's "Moonlight" or Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonatto: these are both far more demanding works. If the pupil is a child, in [children's songs to learn an instrument]](/blog/canciones-infantiles-para-aprender-un-instrumento) You will find more traditional melodies for this stage.
Level 2: first pieces with both hands
| Pieza | Compositor | What's his job? |
|---|---|---|
| "hymnus to joy" with his left hand | Beethoven, in simple arrangement | The left plays long notes (Do and Sun) while the right takes the melody |
| "Melody," op.68 nº 1 | Robert Schumann, Youth Album | Legate and sound sung on the right with a second voice on the left |
| "March of the Soldiers," op. 68 N ° 2 | Robert Schumann, Youth Album | Staccato, tipple and chord rhythm with both hands |
| Minueto in Sol mayor | Anne Magdalena Bach's notebook | Two independent 3 / 4 lines and position changes |
| "La candeur," op.100 nº 1 | Friedrich Burgmüller, 25 easy studies | A dual and frying legate and an open collection with a written collection for students |
| Canon of pachelbel (simplified version) | Johann pachelbel | The left repeats the sequence of low re - La - Si - Fa - Sol - re - Sol - La |
A curious fact about the Minueto at Sun: for a long time Johann Sebastian Bach was attributed but today his work is considered by Christian Petzold. He remains, with justice, one of the first "true" pieces of most piano student. If his and his hands are put together, before these pieces we have to do [exercise of independent hands].](/blog/ejercicios-de-independencia-de-manos-en-el-piano).
Level 3: first and second year
| Pieza | Compositor | What's his job? |
|---|---|---|
| "To elisa," Woo 59 (main section) | Ludwig van Beethoven | Alternative with hands, apace from the left and first steps with pedal |
| "La arabesca," op. 100 nº 2 | Friedrich Burgmüller | Ability with quick note and shortcut chords |
| "The Cheer Peasant," op. 68 nº 10 | Robert Schumann | The melody goes to the left and the right goes with: balance and independence |
| Do Mayor sonatine, op. 36 nº 1 | Muzio Clementi | Stages, broken chords and sonatine form |
| Do mayor's prelude, BWV 846 | Johann Sebastian Bach, The well-temperate key | Regular Artigios and listening to how harmony changes |
"To Elisa" deserves clarification: everyone recognizes his first compas but his complete work has two more difficult central sections. Learning only the main section is a realistic and very motivative goal and the whole piece better later. how long it takes to learn piano We figure out what happens at every stage.
Level 4: challenges for while you're already playing with flap
- "Gymnopédie nº 1" by Erik Satie: The left leapt between a bass and a chord at each bar. He trains leapes, pedal and patience to hold a slow tempo without hurrying.
- A prelude to my minor, op. 28 nº 4, by Frédéric Chopin: repeated chords on the left that change note to note, under a very simple melody. It's a lesson of soft sound and pedal.
- Fancy at La Mayor, op.28 nº 7, from Chopin: very short with chords and delicate frying. Ideal for an initial hearing.
- "Ancient French Song," by Chaikovski (Youth Album, op. 39): melody sung in minor tone with accompaniment to the left.
Most of these pieces depend on the resonance pedal to sound as they should. If you haven't been handling them, read first how to use the piano pedal.
Popular songs to play with chords
Not everything has to be read note by note. Many songs are played with the fundamental chord on the left and complete chord on the right, and this develops the harmonic ear and allows to accompany someone who sings.
| Song | Artista | Chords | How to get started |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let It Be | The Beatles | Do - Sol - Lam - Fa | Left at the fundamental, right with chord in black |
| “Imagine” | John Lennon | Do - Do7M - Fa on the verse | Two right-wing positions that alternate with softness |
| "Some Like You" | Adele | The - Mi - Fa Mhm - re | Fitted (pitted) arms on the right |
To play chords conveniently, look for investments: Instead of jumping with Do a Fa's full hand, change only the necessary notes. Your teacher can show you how in a class.
How to choose a good arrangement and study the piece
- Written digitation: The numbers about the grades save you weeks of bad habits.
- Few alterations: To start with, noses with none, one or two sustained or bemoles.
- Reasonable range: That your hands don't have to walk through the whole keyboard.
- No names written above the notes: help them with their first day and stop reading the rest of the year. If reading is your weak point, review how to read scores.
- Color bar tutorials: They serve to get an ear song, but they don't replace the score.
When studying a new piece, read digitation, mark with pencil the changes of place, practice hands separated by fragments of two to four bars and put his hands together slow. The pedal and final tempo reach the last. A [piano] teacher](/clases/piano) choose with you the Repertoire as per your level and your tastes, which is the best way to maintain the desire to practice.
Frequently asked questions
What's the easiest song to learn how to play piano?
"Au clair de la lune" and the "hymnah a la juego" are among the easiest: they use neighboring notes, most of them within Do's position, and they touch with one hand. They are ideal for the first few weeks.
"To elisa"'s for beginners?
The main section, which everyone recognizes, can be learned after a few months of class. The complete work has faster and more demanding passages, so we should leave them for an intermediate level.
Can I play these pieces on a keyboard?
The ones at levels 1 and 2, yes. From level 3 appear the pedal and volume nuances, and there a keyboard with no sensitivity and no pedal remains short. The best is a digital piano with 88 counterpitted keys.
The classic pieces are for free use?
The works of long-dead composers, such as Bach, Beethoven or Schumann, are public domain but an issue or a modern arrangement can have its own rights, so check where the score you download comes from.