Taylor Swift’s songs are certainly catchy. And while you might think of Taylor as being primarily a guitar artist, just about every one of her songs has a surprisingly great-sounding piano version.
And as you may have found, playing piano covers isn’t just fun; it gives you a chance to work on your own music and hone in on your musical style. In this list, we’ve gathered some of the best Taylor Swift piano songs for pianists of all abilities.
The Top Taylor Swift Piano Songs
1. “Love Story”
“Love Story” (from the album Fearless) is one of the earliest Taylor Swift songs to become popular. And while you can find books of sheet music by Hal Leonard and other companies that include this one, you can also find YouTube tutorials and other free resources to help you learn this up-tempo ballad.
This video offers an easy walkthrough of how to play the melody. But if you’d rather play chords on the piano and sing the melody, it’s surprisingly easy: you’ll just need C, G, Am, F, and G.
2. “Blank Space”
“Blank Space” is one of the more popular songs off of her album 1989 (and the deluxe version, Taylor’s Version. This album really cemented Taylor’s move away from country music and more toward the world of pop. And its music video incorporates some memorable imagery as well!
Though the original is an upbeat song about the start of a new relationship, “Blank Space” is surprisingly poignant when played as a stripped-down piano version. And if you’ve never tried playing and singing at the same time, this might be a good song to start with. It sounds especially nice if you play arpeggios.
This video tutorial will talk you through an easy way to play the melody. If you want to play chords and sing along to the song, all you need is G, Em, C, D, and Am.
3. “Wildest Dreams”
“Wildest Dreams” is from the same album as “Blank Space.” And as you can probably guess from the name of the song, this one is especially dreamy. But like most Taylor Swift songs, it still sounds pretty good when you play it on piano. If you’re not familiar with the song, you can check out the music video here.
If you want to get started on “Wildest Dreams,” this tutorial video will take you through it. And if you check out the chords, you’ll see that they’re pretty easy, too. You will just need to play G, Em, C, D, and Am.
The nice thing about many Taylor Swift songs is that they often have relatively easy chords. That’s very helpful when you’re learning to play and sing at the same time!
4. “White Horse”
“White Horse” is one of the older Taylor Swift songs out there. And unlike some of her popular songs, this one is especially piano-driven. You can hear the pretty piano riff that kicks off the song in this music video.
This pretty, country-tinged song is a lot of fun to learn. And this YouTube tutorial video even includes sheet music. It’s a good choice if you want to jump into one of Taylor’s sadder songs, as this one is about coming back to reality after a breakup.
And if you’d rather focus on the chords of this song, you’re in luck: the chords are similar to those of some of the other songs on the list! To play “White Horse,” you need C, G, Am, and F.
5. “New Year’s Day”
This song, off of Taylor Swift’s album Reputation, has beautifully descriptive lyrics. Though it’s ostensibly about the morning after a New Year’s Eve party, the song uses both the party and the morning-after cleanup as an allegory for committing to someone. And as you can see in this video, Taylor has even performed this song on piano for her fans.
If you want to play “New Year’s Day” and sing at the same time, you can use some of the same chords used in other songs on the list: you will just need C, Am, F, and G. Of course, if you’re up for a challenge, books of official sheet music offer some more complex arrangements.
Or if you prefer, you can check out a relatively easy video tutorial here.
6. “Back to December”
This song is one of Taylor Swift’s older ones. And like many of her songs, it’s about a relationship with a high-profile person: it’s effectively an apology to her ex, Taylor Lautner.
This song has slightly more complex chords, so it’s a great choice if you want to move a little beyond beginner chords. To play it, you just need D, G, Bm, A, and F#m.
If you’d prefer a video tutorial talking you through “Back to December,” check out this easy piano tutorial.
7. “Exile”
Not many Taylor Swift songs feature other artists, but this one features Bon Iver. Its slow tempo makes it a good one to learn for beginner and intermediate pianists. It’s a very piano-driven song with a decidedly different feel from a lot of Taylor’s other work.
Part of that is because this song is from Folklore, an album that’s a departure from Taylor’s usually up-tempo songs. If you want to hear the piano and check out the lyrics, you can check out the lyrics to “Exile” in this lyric video.
To play the accompaniment you hear in the video, you might want to consult this tutorial. The chords you need for this one are a little different and a little more challenging: you’ll need to play B, C#, D#m, and F#.
8. “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Like many of our favorite songs by Taylor Swift, this one was written with Max Martin. “I Knew You Were Trouble” did very well on multiple charts when it was released in 2012: it was a top 10 hit in more than 12 countries! It’s a dynamic song about realizing a relationship is doomed from the very start.
The original song is instrumentally complex, but it sounds great when just played as a piano version. This video offers helpful guidance as well as sheet music.
If you want to mostly focus on chords, you’ll need D, A, Bm, and G.
9. “Lover”
This is the titular song off of Taylor’s album Lover. It’s a catchy tribute to Joe Alwyn, Taylor’s partner. Many Taylor Swift songs are about messy or acrimonious breakups, so this one offers a welcome departure.
If you’d like an easy, melody-focused way to play this musical love story, check out this quick tutorial. But if you’d rather play the accompaniment as you sing or someone else sings, this somewhat more involved video will help you.
As far as chords go, this song isn’t all that difficult. Though there are other versions out there, the version in the video uses G, D, C, D/F#, G/F#, and Em.
10. “All Too Well”
Playing piano covers of Taylor Swift songs is a lot of fun. And if you want inspiration for this one, you can watch Taylor herself play it! She famously performed “All Too Well” live on piano at the Grammy Awards. You can check out that performance in this video.
This moving song can be a challenge to play (especially if you’re singing as well), but it’s well worth the effort. Critics and fans alike seem to regard it as one of Taylor’s best songs.
If you find yourself inspired to learn the song after watching Taylor’s performance, you might be interested in learning the live version in this short tutorial. In terms of chords used, you’ll just need C, G, Am, and F.
11. “You Belong With Me”
If you’ve followed Taylor Swift since her almost-country days, you might enjoy learning this one just for old time’s sake. “You Belong With Me” was on Taylor’s second album. The song became incredibly popular, and even people who aren’t really Taylor Swift fans have likely heard it. At its peak, it was the #2 song in the United States.
If you want to learn to play it, check out this video lesson. “You Belong With Me” involves pretty easy chords, as you just need D, A, Em, and G.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a Taylor Swift devotee or a casual listener, we hope you’ve been inspired to try out a piano version of one (or more) of her songs. What do you think? Are there any other Taylor Swift songs we should have included? Do you have any other favorite songs that can be fun to learn? Let us know in the comments, and please don’t forget to like and share if you found it useful!