5 Easy Pop Songs to Play On Piano
Looking for some fun and easy pop songs to play on the piano? Take a look at these suggestions from Greeley, CO teacher Andy W.
Playing your favorite songs on the piano doesn’t have to be difficult. Start out with songs you enjoy and build from there. Here are five easy pop songs to play on piano for beginners! When you’re ready to advance, try taking private piano lessons.
“All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor
This is a fun, chart-topping song. The chords to this are A – Bmin – E – A. Each of these chords is played for two bars and the entire progression is eight bars. The good news for you is that this progression is repeated nonstop throughout the whole song. Practice playing the bassline in the left hand first and then add the melody in the right hand. Listen for how the melody in the verse is different from the chorus. Later in the song, the chords are played with constant eighth notes. Check out the video below for a play-along tutorial:
“Someone Like You” – Adele
This hit from Adele’s album, 21, managed to top the charts in almost 10 countries. You can play most of this song, including the verse and chorus, by playing four repeated chords: A, E, F#min, D. While you play constant arepeggios in the left hand, add the melody in the right. Here is a play-along video to help you learn it:
For even more ideas check out these 3 easy hit songs!
“Clocks” – Coldplay
This is one of Coldplay’s biggest hits, dating back to 2002. Since it’s so recognizable, this makes it one of the most fun pop songs to play on the piano. It has a few different sections to learn, but let’s just look at the most famous part for now. The right hand plays the signature arpeggio pattern, while the left hand plays chords and rhythmically lines up with the arpeggios. The chords to the verse and chorus are Eb – Bbmin – Fmin. The Eb is played for one bar, Bmin for two, and the Fmin for one. Looking at the bridge, the chords are Gb – Db – Ab. The bridge chords are played with constant eighth notes. This video breaks the song down well:
“Stay With Me” – Sam Smith
Fortunately for you, Sam Smith decided to repeat only three chords with the same rhythm for this entire song. So, here are the chords: Amin, F, C. After you get the chords in the left hand down, add the melody in your right hand. The video below shows how to add some cool fills to make it interesting:
“Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
Just for fun, let’s look at “Billie Jean” from the album Thriller, which dates back to 1982. We’ll focus on the synth parts in this song. In the right hand, play these three chords: F#min – G#min – A – G#min. For these chords, there is a four-note bassline for the left hand to play. When the chords change to Bbmin, there is a second bassline. Using these two basslines and two chord sections, you can play the verses and choruses. Play along with the video below:
I hope these easy and fun pop songs help you learn how to play the piano. Here are 15 pop more piano pop songs to try, and 15 piano solos that are easier than they seem. Keep practicing them and then make your own list of new pop songs to learn!
Post Author: Andy W.Andy W. teaches guitar, singing, piano, and more in Greeley, CO. He specializes in jazz, and has played guitar for 12 years. Learn more about Andy here!
Photo by Elena Gatti Photography
Nice tutorials! Keep at it! 🙂
how exactly is the stay with me one easy?
Thank you Suzy . i have started learning piano a few days ago. I had been searching for long to find an article that could help me in starting it. Now I have finally found such an article. This song is very much useful for me in order to learn piano. I am looking forward to see more useful resources.
Hi Alyssa, I’m glad you found the article helpful!
Love your tutorials
Hi Mark-Thanks for sharing, we will check it out!
Hi Andy,
Very nice curated list of popular songs. My son starting learning the piano a few years ago and he’s always searching online for something like this.
My favorite one is “Someone Like You”
Thanks for putting this together.
Hi Andy,
Enjoyed the article!
I was after a Sam Smith song and you provided exactly what I was looking for.
Thanks!
Keep up the great work
Hi Andy, glad we could help! Have fun learning the song!
Hi Andy, excellent tutorials.
I wanted to learn piano for a long time, a friend was helping me, but I left it because of time, now that I have more time available, I will pick it up again. Thank you