Top 10 easy pieces for piano

[Barrie Heaton]

So what are the top Easy Piano Pieces that sound great

Barrie,

[Gill the Piano]

Well, Fur Elise is relatively easy to play, but not to play well. And because people recognise it, they're impressed...is that the sort of thing you mean? If so, you've got your number one!

[Feg]

Personally, I think that Bach's Prelude in C is easier than Fur Elise. There are a couple of Beethoven Bagatelles which are also much more beginner friendly.

[Gill the Piano]

I agree with the Prelude in C, but as for the bagatelles - Barrie wanted impressive pieces and people only seem to be impressed by pieces they know! Shallow, know, but that's people for you...

[samasap]

Fur Elise is a good one, so is God Save America! And a simple version of Pachelbals Canon.

[honkytonk]

Yes Pachelbel's Canon and perhaps Erik Satie - Gymnopedie No.1.

[Colin Nicholson]

Alot of my adult beginners like to "try out" the opening few bars to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in C# minor + with PEDAL!!. They are sometimes horrified by the 'key name' - but when I show them the notes - G# C# E in the right hand (and a sustained C# in the left hand), the patterns of using some of the black keys seems easier for them. Of course when the main tune kicks in (with the dotted quaver & semiquaver G#) - I usually end the tune there for them!! The first 2 bars have the same RH, just drop your LH down to the note B for bar 2. Then you just change one of the notes for the next sequence A - C# - E (moving the G# up to A) - and drop your LH down another note to 'A'

Here we go...... play & hold LH note once, only repeating the RH X times

LH.... RH
C#.... G# C# E (4 times)
B .... G# C# E (4 times - same RH notes)
A .... A C# E (4 times - should be 2 times, but who cares)
F# .... A D F# (4 times)
G#.... G# C F# (4 times - the note C is B# in the real music)
C#.... G# C# E (2 times)
C#.... C# (hold for about 4 beats - semibreve)

Have a go!

[samasap]

You can get a beginners version of Pacelbals Canon which pupils always enjoy learning as beginners.
Amazing Grace is another nice song, again there are nice easy arrangements out there for beginners.

A folk song I teach some adult pupils is Drunken Sailor as this incorporates chords in the right hand.
And a simple 12 bar blues. (With this you can usually type out your own basic arrangement.