Whether you want to teach kids or are an adult learning yourself, learning to read sheet music while also mastering basic piano skills. But when you play easy piano songs with letters, you can focus on playing the notes themselves without worrying about reading music notes off of the staff.
Even if you aren’t ready to play with two hands, these simplified versions of songs can help you become a better player. Here are some fun easy piano songs with letters to try!
The Best Easy Piano Songs with Letters for Beginners
1. Mary Had a Little Lamb
“Mary Had a Little Lamb” is a classic song for kids just mastering the piano keyboard. But it’s a valuable learning tool even for adults. The song was inspired by a little girl who brought her pet lamb to school, and it was originally published as a poem in 1830.
As is the case with other piano songs on the list, we’ve included music that will let you play with only your right hand. As you progress, you find versions of the song that incorporate left-hand notes, too. But playing it one key at a time doesn’t have to be boring; if you have a friend who plays guitar, see if they can strum along as you play piano. Or if you wan to challenge yourself, this melody is one that isn’t too hard to sing along with as you play.
You can find easy piano sheet music with letters for “Mary Had a Little Lamb” here. If you prefer a video, this video tutorial shows you how to play it with the notes labeled on the keyboard.
2. Jingle Bells
For children, learning songs that incorporate the same sets of a few notes several times is a good place to start. The catchy, simple melody of “Jingle Bells” makes it a great song for early beginners.
This song, written in the 1800s, is one of the most famous American songs in the world. And despite its wintery theme, it wasn’t even originally associated with Christmas!
If you haven’t played piano for very long and find yourself getting lost on the keyboard, you might be interested in a simple solution. Removable note labels for piano keys are relatively easy to find, and they’re a great tool to use until you memorize the note values of each of the keys.
Check out the easy sheet music (with letters) for “Jingle Bells” here. This tutorial video also shows you how to play it using a fun animation! Once you’ve mastered this version, you can also seek out more complex arrangements of the song to master.
3. A Whole New World
Most of the piano songs on our list are older folk songs. But adults and kids alike will appreciate this classic song from the 1992 film Aladdin. “A Whole New World” quickly became one of the most popular Disney songs ever, and it even reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Many songs for beginners are only on the white keys. But this song can serve as a useful introduction to playing on the black keys (accidentals) as well. The song only contains one accidental: F#. This is the black key immediately to the right of the F notes on the keyboard.
You can find the sheet music (in letter form) for “A Whole New World” here. This song is a bit more challenging for beginners than some of the other songs on the list, so this animated tutorial might help. Of course, there’s room for progress here, too. Once you’ve mastered this version, you can find sheet music that incorporates your left hand, too.
4. Happy Birthday
“Happy Birthday” holds the distinction of being the most recognized song in the English language. And when you’re learning easy piano songs, it can be helpful to already have some familiarity with the melody. Once you learn this one, you’ll even be able to perform it for your friends on their birthdays!
As you’re learning to play piano songs like this one, it’s easy to accidentally make the notes sound too choppy. As you learn “Happy Birthday,” focus on making the notes sound more fluid and connected. If need be, you can sing it or listen to someone else sing it. From there, try to mimic the fluid connection of the notes that you hear to the notes you play on the keyboard.
You can check out the sheet music with letters for “Happy Birthday” here. If you’re ready to start playing, check out this slow-tempo video tutorial.
5. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” is among the easiest piano songs for beginners to learn. It’s often one of the first entries in children’s songbooks. And if you search for songs with letters, it’s one of the first ones you’ll find.
This song’s distinctive melody has found a place in many cultures across the world. It’s based on “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman,” a French melody. This is also the melody for the “Alphabet Song,” so once you learn “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” you’ll have learned two songs!
If you like this tune and want to learn more complex arrangements as you progress, you’re in luck. “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman” has been arranged by a variety of different composers, so one of these adaptations can be a fun way to improve your playing and work on using your right hand and your left hand on the keyboard at one time.
Check out the sheet music with letters for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” here. To start playing, take a look at this easy tutorial. The tutorial animation can help you to time each note, so it’s a great tool for improving your rhythm skills.
6. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
This fun, dreamy tune is one of the most popular songs for those just starting their journey toward playing the piano. The melody is especially great for kids because it starts out with quarter notes and moves into eighth notes, so it’s great for improving right-hand speed and mobility.
Though this is a simple song, music star Bing Crosby included a recording of it in his 1961 album 101 Gang Songs. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” was traditionally sung as a round, and Crosby sang it in a round with his family members in a 1976 live show.
You can find the sheet music with letters for “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” here. This video tutorial uses a labeled piano keyboard to show you how to play it.
7. If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re interested in playing a fun, popular song that will make you smile, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” is a great choice. Since it has a more dynamic melody than most of the songs on the list, this tune is one of the most fun beginner piano songs you can learn.
Nobody is sure exactly where the song originated, but it likely came from Latvia, the United States, Spain, or Latin America. Its infectious happiness has led it to be recognized as one of the 100 best-known folk songs in Japan, too. It was one of only a handful of foreign songs included on the Nihon no Uta Hyakusen, Japan’s list of 100 beloved nursery rhymes and folk songs, in 2007.
If you want sheet music with letters for “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” check out this helpful resource. This easy tutorial will also help you through the song’s cheerful melody. And since “Happy Birthday” includes a lot of repeating notes, it’s a great song to work on as you master reading sheet music from notes on the staff.
8. The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Chances are good that you remember this upbeat song from childhood. It’s popular in a number of cultures, and it also has been included in many television episodes and a few films.
Once you get good at playing this song, you may also be able to play some other children’s songs with relative ease. Its melody is similar to the German children’s song “Spannenlanger Hansel” and the American song “Sweetly Sings the Donkey.”
Though easy piano sheet music for “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” isn’t too challenging, it is useful for practicing shorter notes. Many songs on the list contain mostly or all quarter notes, but this song contains a good number of eighth notes. Being able to alternate playing quarter notes and eighth notes is a valuable skill for any new musician to learn, and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” will help you master it.
Here’s the sheet music (just letters) for “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” You can also check out this tutorial for visual guidance on how to play it.
9. Yankee Doodle
If you like easy piano songs with a real Americana feel, “Yankee Doodle” is a great one to learn. But notably, while its lyrics make it distinctly American, experts believe that the melody of the song is ancient and possibly dates back to Medieval Europe.
If you’re like many beginners, you’ve also been learning your piano scales. If you have, “Yankee Doodle” shouldn’t be hard at all. Most of the notes in the song can be found on the C major scale. As a bonus, the song starts on middle C. This is the first piano key most beginners learn, and being able to quickly locate it on the keyboard is an indispensable skill!
You can find the letters-only sheet music for “Yankee Doodle” here. And this video shows you the easiest way to play it.
10. Baby Shark
Some people think this is a great song and others find it a bit obnoxious, but “Baby Shark” is one of the catchiest melodies for kids in recent memory. The official video for the song is the most successful YouTube video of all time.
To see the sheet music (only letters) for “Baby Shark,” click here! And for an easy guide on how to play the song, check out this useful video. As you’ll see in the tutorial, “Baby Shark” lets you start playing with your right hand and your left hand at the same time. Of course, if this is too challenging at first, feel free to play the right-hand and left-hand parts separately until you get the hang of it. It can take some practice, but once you master this crucial skill, your keyboard abilities will really expand.
11. Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Though “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” is now known as a song for children, it’s believed o have originally been written for an opera in 1706! This tune is dynamic and fun to play. The melody is a little more intricate than some songs for beginners, so it’s a good song to progress to once you’ve mastered “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and similar easy songs.
If your ultimate goal is to be able to play piano and sing at the same time, this is also a great song to practice with. That’s because the lyrics from verse to verse are largely the same; all that changes is the name of the animal (and the sound it makes).
This sheet music for “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” includes both traditional music notes and letters. This tutorial designed for kids will also help you learn to play it!
Final Thoughts
The simple melodies above are a great way to sharpen your skills as you learn to read music. And if you find yourself wishing you could play something more complex, remember that all musicians start out small! You’ll be playing your favorite songs in no time.
What do you think? Do you know of any easy piano songs good for beginners? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to like and share if you’ve found this list helpful!