The fastest way to fall in love with piano is to play real songs early. All fifteen below are in the public domain, sound great on a piano and use simple patterns. Letter notes are given for the opening melodies; on the online piano, middle C is Q, so C D E F G A B is Q W E R T Y U.
The ones marked ★ are built into Practice mode with both hands, so you can learn them with falling notes and wait mode.
Five-finger songs (week one)
1. Ode to Joy ★ — Beethoven. The perfect first song: five notes, steady rhythm. E E F G G F E D C C D E E D D
2. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star ★. C C G G A A G — F F E E D D C
3. Mary Had a Little Lamb. E D C D E E E — D D D — E G G
4. Hot Cross Buns. Three notes only. E D C — E D C — C C C C D D D D — E D C
5. Jingle Bells (chorus). E E E — E E E — E G C D E
A step up (weeks two to four)
6. When the Saints Go Marching In ★. Great for practising long notes. C E F G — C E F G — C E F G E C E D
7. Amazing Grace ★. A slow waltz — count 1-2-3. D G B G B A G E D
8. Happy Birthday. G G A G C B — G G A G D C
9. Auld Lang Syne. C F F F A G F G A F F A C D
10. Greensleeves. In A minor; uses G♯. A C D E F E D B G A B C A A G♯ A B G♯ E
Classical favourites (month two and beyond)
11. Minuet in G ★ — Petzold (long credited to Bach). Graceful and great for finger independence.
12. Für Elise (opening) ★ — Beethoven. The famous E–D♯ wiggle: E D♯ E D♯ E B D C A
13. Prelude in C major — J.S. Bach. Broken chords in one repeating pattern per bar; sounds advanced, isn’t.
14. Gymnopédie No. 1 — Erik Satie. Slow, dreamy and forgiving. Lovely with the sustain pedal.
15. Canon in D — Pachelbel (simplified). Learn the eight-chord bass line in the left hand: D A B F♯ G D G A.
How to learn any of them
- Learn the right-hand melody alone.
- Add the left hand slowly — in Practice mode, set My hand to Left and let the melody play for you.
- Put hands together at 50% speed with Wait for me.
- Speed up to 75%, then 100% with Play along.
Want a song that isn’t here? Record it or find a recording you own, run it through the free transcription tool, and practise it the same way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest song to play on piano?
“Hot Cross Buns” uses three notes; “Ode to Joy” uses five and sounds more satisfying.
Can I play these on a computer keyboard?
Yes — all the melodies above fit on the top row of the keyboard map (Q to I).
Are these songs copyright free?
All fifteen are in the public domain in the United States. Modern arrangements of them can still be copyrighted, but the melodies themselves are free to play and share.
Try it now: everything in this guide works in the free the free online piano. For lessons, backing tracks and transcriptions, subscribe to GrooveForte on YouTube.