8 easy piano songs for beginners, with the notes and computer keys

The fastest way to enjoy the piano is to finish a song on day one. These eight are ordered so each one adds a single new idea to the last. The first four stay within one hand’s reach of middle C.

How to read the notes below. Each letter is a white key. Middle C is the C in the middle of a full piano, and every song here starts near it. The keys line is the computer key that plays each note on the online piano, where Z plays middle C. A | is the end of a line of the song.

1. Hot Cross Buns — three notes

Put your thumb on E, first finger on D, and so on down — or just three fingers on Z, X and C.

• Notes: E D C | E D C | C C C C D D D D | E D C
• Keys: C X Z | C X Z | Z Z Z Z X X X X | C X Z

The middle line is quick: four Cs and four Ds in the time of two notes.

2. Mary Had a Little Lamb — four notes

The same three notes, plus one jump up to G.

• Notes: E D C D E E E | D D D E G G | E D C D E E E E | D D E D C
• Keys: C X Z X C C C | X X X C B B | C X Z X C C C C | X X C X Z

3. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star — six notes

Your first leap: from C straight up to G. Every line after the first walks down one note at a time.

• Notes: C C G G A A G | F F E E D D C | G G F F E E D | G G F F E E D | C C G G A A G | F F E E D D C
• Keys: Z Z B B N N B | V V C C X X Z | B B V V C C X | B B V V C C X | Z Z B B N N B | V V C C X X Z

4. Ode to Joy — Beethoven, five notes

Mostly steps between neighbouring notes, which is why it is taught to nearly every beginner. The two slower notes at the end of each line are what make it sound like the real thing.

• Notes: E E F G | G F E D | C C D E | E D D | E E F G | G F E D | C C D E | D C C
• Keys: C C V B | B V C X | Z Z X C | C X X | C C V B | B V C X | Z Z X C | X Z Z

That is the famous half. The full melody has a middle section; the piano’s song list plays all of it.

5. Jingle Bells (chorus) — repeated notes

Easy notes, but rhythm is the whole song. Say the words in your head as you play.

• Notes: E E E | E E E | E G C D | E | F F F F | F E E E E | E D D E | D G
• Keys: C C C | C C C | C B Z X | C | V V V V | V C C C C | C X X C | X B

The second half is the same with a new ending: G G F D | C (B B V X | Z).

6. London Bridge Is Falling Down — a walking tune

• Notes: G A G F | E F G | D E F | E F G | G A G F | E F G | D G | E C
• Keys: B N B V | C V B | X C V | C V B | B N B V | C V B | X B | C Z

7. Old MacDonald Had a Farm — your first B

The first song that uses B, the white key just below the next C.

• Notes: G G G D | E E D | B B A A | G D | G G G D | E E D | B B A A | G
• Keys: B B B X | C C X | M M N N | B X | B B B X | C C X | M M N N | B

8. Happy Birthday — the big jumps

The hardest here, because each line jumps higher than the last. The first two notes of every line go long-short, as in “Hap-py”.

• Notes: G G A G C B | G G A G D C | G G G E C B A | F F E C D C
• Keys: B B N B Q M | B B N B W Q | B B T E Q M N | R R E Q W Q

The Q row plays the octave above the Z row, so Q is the C above middle C.

How to practise them

• Slow first. Play each song at half speed until there are no pauses, then speed up. A slow, even tune sounds better than a fast, broken one.
• One line at a time. Repeat a line five times before joining it to the next.
• Let the keys show you. On the online piano, choose a song and the next key lights up and waits for you. A wrong note just flashes. That turns a list of letters into something you can play by following along.
• Record yourself. Press Record, play the song through, and listen back. You will hear uneven notes you did not notice while playing.

After these eight

Once these feel easy, try Frère Jacques and Au Clair de la Lune. Both dip below middle C, so press the left arrow on the online piano to move the keyboard down an octave. Then try Minuet in G, the classic next step for real piano students. All of them are in the song list, with notes in letters or in sargam.