Can you play a song the first time you ever play the piano?
YES!
When I was teaching privately, I would always make sure the student played a song in their very first lesson.
Playing songs is why we play the piano, and it’s FUN.
Many beginners don’t believe they can play songs that fast. Maybe you don’t. But you don’t have to practice technique for months to be able to have fun and play some real music.
Here are 4 easy piano songs that are perfect for beginners. For each song, I’ve included a chord chart that you can download for FREE so you can follow along, practice at home.
Most of these songs are taken from our 500 Songs in 5 Days training pack, which is an awesome way to learn popular songs super fast.
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<< Download the FREE chord chart here >>
The easiest way to play from a chord chart is to use chord shells. This just means playing the name of the chord with your thumb in the right hand, and then playing the note that naturally rests under your pinky. It’s called a 5th, and it’s perfect because you don’t have to worry about whether the chord is major or minor.
The above picture shows you how to play a C chord. So anytime you see the letter C on a chord chart, you play this shape. In your left hand just play the C note lower on the piano.
Don’t worry too much about major or minor chords just yet. But if you DO want to learn more, we have a great lesson here.
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<< Download the FREE chord chart here >>
Very few can sing like Adele, but it doesn’t take long to be able to play her songs on the piano.
Hello is a beautiful ballad that only uses 4 chords.
You can use the shape you just learned to follow along with the chord chart and be playing it in no time.
<< Download the FREE chord chart here >>
This is an older song, but it’s super fun to play and it’s an easy piano song because there are only 3 chords!
This is a good song to start practicing adding in the 3rd. That means adding in the note in between the bottom and top notes.
Here is a G chord:
You can see we have the G shape, with the G on the bottom and D on the top (the 5th interval). Now we are just adding in the note in the middle. In this case, it’s a B.
That middle note will determine whether the chord is major or minor. But in this song it will always be a white note, so you don’t have to worry 🙂
<< Download the FREE chord chart here >>
Another beautiful and easy piano song with only 4 chords!
By now I hope you’ll see the pattern in these pop songs. They don’t use very many chords and they like to keep things simple, which is fantastic for beginners because it makes it easy to learn and play these songs!
It can be daunting when you’re starting out learning a new instrument. But I hope this lesson shows you how it is possible to be playing real songs straight away.
Playing songs makes learning the piano fun. And if it’s fun, you’ll keep doing it and you’ll get better.
It’s a beautiful cycle.
Have fun and happy practicing!
As a Pianote+ Member, you’ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists who have played with rock stars.
Lisa Witt has been teaching piano for more than 20 years and in that time has helped hundreds of students learn to play the songs they love. Lisa received classical piano training through the Royal Conservatory of Music, but she has since embraced popular music and playing by ear in order to accompany herself and others. Learn more about Lisa.
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