When learning to play the piano, it's very important to start with simple pieces. It’s worth practising exercises and technical works – etudes. They help develop finger agility, hand strength, and proper hand positioning.
But let’s be honest – it’s natural to want to feel like a pro from time to time! To perform something for friends that makes them say “wow”! And that’s absolutely possible! Even at the beginning of your learning journey, you can choose pieces that sound more complex than they actually are. These works are often easy and intuitive to learn, and the result may surprise even you!
Such pieces are a great motivator for beginners – they inspire progress and growth in playing!
What Makes a Piece Easy to Play
To evaluate how easy and intuitive a piece will be to learn, pay attention to the following:
1. Repetition of sections. Many easy pieces follow ternary form, where the first and third sections are the same, and the middle section offers contrast. This means you only need to learn the first part well – and that cuts your work significantly!
2. Repetitive accompaniment. You’ve likely come across compositions with repetitive accompaniments – often four-bar patterns using arpeggios that loop over and over. This makes playing much easier! The left hand stays mostly the same and only changes occasionally, which lets you focus more on the right hand and speeds up the learning process
3. Narrow range. Pieces that don’t require your hands to move across the entire keyboard are much more comfortable to play. It’s easier to concentrate when both hands remain in one general position. Even better if the hands stay close together – it's easier to manage both!
4. Simpler key signature. It’s much easier to learn a piece that doesn’t include a lot of sharps or flats. If the key signature has four or more accidentals, it requires more focus and care to play the right notes. You can always transpose the piece to a simpler key – for example, from E-flat minor to E minor (just a half step up).
5. Fragments that resemble technical exercises. Many pieces include scale runs, arpeggios, or chord passages. If you've practised technique before, these will feel familiar – like muscle memory. They’ll be much easier to perform!
It’s also important to know that many popular songs have simplified piano versions, though you might come across complex arrangements too. Especially when the original was not written for piano, there are usually several arrangements to choose from—pick the one that suits you best!
A Selection of Easy Piano Pieces for Beginners
Let’s start with classical selections:
Bach – Toccata in D minor
The Toccata from the cycle “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” is a work that every person, even those far from classical music, has heard! This is an organ piece that sounds extremely epic and masterful in the original, but it is easy to find a piano arrangement. If you choose the version without octaves for easier playing, this arrangement will still sound much more complicated than it is performed!
Beethoven – Für Elise
“Für Elise” is a piece that beginners often turn to, and for good reason! The work sounds very rich, skillful, but does not require significant skills. Recognizability of the work often motivates practice!
Bertini – Etude Op.29 No.11 in F-sharp minor
Etudes are compositions aimed at developing technique and are usually quite constructive. However, you can find etudes that are on par with artistic plays in terms of character, imagery, and charisma! Bertini's Etude in F sharp minor is just such a piece! It sounds like a virtuoso masterful composition, although in performance it turns out to be much easier! It's all about the repeated motifs in the right hand part and the static and logical left hand. Among other etudes, you can find very similar pieces that sound more difficult than they seem.
Erik Satie – Gnossienne No.1
Eric Satie's piano works are often simple and easy to learn, but they sound extremely refined and original! The Gnossienne No.1 is full of eclectic motifs and even seems to hypnotize listeners with its constant, steady pulsation. At the same time, this will prove to be an advantage for you while playing!
Erik Satie – Gymnopédie No.1
Another piece by Sati that you might have heard somewhere before! A popular composition that will be pleasant to learn, whether you are a professional or a beginner. A balanced rhythm, stable, not overloaded texture - just what you need!
William Gillock – The Spanish Guitar
The works of William Gillock are a real find for those who are learning to play the piano! The Spanish Guitar is an extremely charismatic and original piece that will impress many listeners. Like most of the composer's works, it is a pedagogical repertoire for children and young people, so it is perfect for beginners.
Ludovico Einaudi – Una Mattina
The works of contemporary composer Ludovico Einaudi are admired by many instrumental music lovers. And not everyone knows that his works are actually very intuitive to learn! In Una Mattina, you can hear fast arpeggios, but they are often conveniently laid out between the two hands, so they are performed effortlessly.
Ludovico Einaudi – Fly
Another composition by Einaudi, which also creates the effect of a masterful performance! If you get the rhythm and coordination of the two hands right, the piece will be easy to learn and a pleasure to play!
Yann Tiersen – Comptine d’un autre été
Jan Thiersen is a contemporary composer whose style is very close to Ludovico Einaudi. In his works, you will also find many repeated patterns of accompaniment, and a convenient narrow range helps in playing. You will also find this in the piece Comptine d'un autre été - a stable repeating pattern in the left hand and a transparent right hand part easily “fit” into the game!
Jamie Duffy – Solas
At first glance, Solas seems too difficult for beginners, but if you look closely, you'll see repeating motifs, a steady rhythm, and a comfortable range. All this makes learning the piece a pleasure!
TWO LANES – Reflections
The works of this band are well suited for the piano and sound very sensual. Reflections, as well as other compositions, do not require high skills and give a feeling of masterful playing!
Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
A popular piece by Hans Zimmer that sounds incredible! To perform the piece, you should choose a slightly simpler arrangement and the composition will still bring a lot of emotions!
