The piano is a great instrument that is very pleasant to the ears. There are a lot of benefits from playing the piano, and the classic songs by the all-time greats are readily available to help you improve and broaden the horizon of your musical mind. But, no matter how much the benefits are, no law says you must strictly learn the piano with classic songs. Have you ever considered pop songs?
Many piano players usually start learning the piano by using classic songs. This is a great way to approach learning the piano, but it shouldn’t be the only way. There are lots of pop songs out there that can improve your playing skills if you give them the same time and commitment that you give to the classic songs. When you play a pop song on the piano, it makes learning fun and easier.
This is because you know most of these songs already and you won’t have to think hard about the next note in the song. Besides, classic songs would bore you out in no time; especially for those that do not like practising the keyboard for long hours.
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BENEFITS OF PRACTISING WITH THE BEST PIANO POP SONGS
Now, before we dive into the best piano pop songs, we need to show you the benefits of learning the piano with pop songs. These songs are played with different pianos, but the most common one is the grand piano. You can check out the different types of pianos here.
1. CHORDS ARE EASIER TO LEARN:
Learning how to play all genres of music is essential to the dedicated piano student. However, you can’t achieve this without first knowing the musical chords. This is why you need pop songs! Practising songs that you already know would speed up the learning process, and learning the respective chords become easier. This gives you a larger bump in learning speed than sticking with classic songs that you may not have heard of.
2. NOTES ARE EASIER TO PLAY:
Since you are a beginner, there are many things on the keyboard that might seem new or even strange to you. For instance, understanding progressions and tonics might seem strange even though they are the basic part of any song. Now, thanks to the everyday pop songs that we are all used to hearing, you already know the progression and tonic solfa of the songs! You might not realise it, but you already do. And learning the piano would be faster and easier this way than with the classics that you have no idea about.
For instance, a song like ‘Stay with Me’ by Sam Smith is a good example. He repeated three chords throughout the song, using the same rhythm. This is a great way to understand the piano since it is easier to learn a song with simple and repeated chords than a song with multiple and complex chords. Besides, repetition is the fastest way to learn something.
SO WHAT ARE THE TOP 5 BEST PIANO POP SONGS:
1. Let it be (The Beatles):
This song is a very simple song with a repeated set of chords. Right from the intro till the end, the progression and notes are constant. You don’t have to worry about the guitar solo though. Just follow the chord pattern and the progression laid out by the bass guitar, and you would be fine. It is a nice and simple song, and it deserves the number one spot on this list.
2. Hey Jude (The Beatles):
The thing about the Beatles is the simplicity of their songs. ‘Hey Jude’ is a great example. It is simple and you can sing along with it; ‘Na na na na… Hey Jude!’. This solemnness of this song is similar to a lullaby, and it would put a smile on your face by bringing back fun memories from your childhood. The best way to learn is with a smile on your face.
3. River Lea (Adele):
this is one of my all-time favourites by Adele. The chords are repeated throughout the song and they are quite simple. They are not amateur-level simple, but they can bump your skills up if you can take the time to understand them. River Lea is a nice song, and you won’t have to rack your brain so hard to get a grip of it. The funny thing is that the chords usually seem hard at first. Then you get surprised at how simple they actually are once you understand them.
4. Skyfall (Adele):
The songs by Adele are not going to make you jump up and down in joy, but they are certainly simple and popular enough for you to know every note in the song. If you have watched the 007 movie; Skyfall, then you would know this song. It is a smooth song that builds intensity as you progress. It has simple chords, especially at the beginning. Besides, any fan of the 007 franchise would know that the song sounds similar to most other 007 theme songs. This makes it easier to understand quickly, and in turn, play with ease.
5. Clocks (Coldplay):
you don’t have to be a fan of Coldplay to enjoy ‘Clocks’. The song is sweet, soft, easy to understand, and very easy to play. The ease of playing this song is due to the fact that the chords are repeated all through the song. However, it is best to stress that you should not get distracted by the arpeggio played by the piano. There are more than one piano in this song, and it would be best if you start with the chords before moving to the arpeggios. On the other hand, the arpeggio can even serve as your guide to fully understand all the notes played in that chord.
CONCLUSION
Now there you have it! The best piano pop songs for beginners. If you dedicate a lot of time into mastering the pop songs mentioned above, then you would see a significant level of progress in your piano playing skills.
However, you must learn the basic chords and the location of all the keys in an octave before anything else. This would improve your play and make you learn the piano faster than you can imagine. If you are an adult, and you don’t have the luxury of time to spend on a single song, then you can check out some piano lessons for adults. And remember, always start with the basics!
