Easy piano pieces that will make you sound PRO

Whilst learning any instrument is not easy, the piano does sometimes seem to have more than its fair share of technical challenges. If only there were some pieces by great composers that were not so hard to play but made you sound like an absolute pro…

The fact is, there are!

For those in the know, there are some works that sound absolutely brilliant, are played by even the most eminent concert pianists and yet they are surprisingly easy to master. Many early years pianists know this and use this secret knowledge to dazzle (and maybe intimidate) their fellow learners. We feel that this knowledge should be shared!

Here, then, is our picks of some of the best of these works. Prepare to dazzle your fellow musicians (without frazzling your fingers).

Bach—Prelude from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1, No 1

Bach’s Prelude No.1 in C from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1 is perhaps the most heavenly piece of music ever written. Frequently played by top keyboardists and widely adapted by composers from Charles Gounod to Arvo Pärt, it is also one of Bach's most celebrated pieces. And yet, despite its intimidating-looking sequence of semiquavers, it fits the hand like the proverbial glove.

Handel—Sarabande from Suite in D minor, HWV 437

A piece that sounds dark, majestic and intensely serious, especially when given a bit of sustain pedal. In the first variation, it even gives the impression of contrapuntal complexity, a fact that is not at all reflected in its difficulty of execution. As an extra bonus, the work was also made famous by its use by Stanley Kubrick in his film ‘Barry Lyndon,’ which will have people stopping to wonder where they have heard it before.

Beethoven—Für Elise

Ok, so maybe this piece is not such a secret, but a cliché is a cliché for a reason—this piece sounds like serious Beethoven, even though it is easy to play. It also contains a charming mystery—just who was the mysterious ‘Elise’ of the title (read here, for the answer!)?

To make things super-democratic we also offer two versions, the original, which admittedly does have a trickier central passage, and a simplified version, which contains all of the essential features of the famous main section.

For bit of fun, also check out our swing and boogie-woogie versions of this piece. These reimaginings will certainly help you stand out from the Für Elise-playing crowd!

Clementi—Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36 No. 1

There are a few lesser-known classical composers who wrote quite simple sonatas, but Clementi was the real deal—in his day as celebrated as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. His Sonatina is C, Op.36 No.1 is a charming piece, with all the elements of a full-blown sonata, albeit in bijou form.

Schumann—Soldier’s March (Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 2)

Aimed specifically at younger players, this is one of the better-known works for early years pianists. But its stately rhythms make it sound much more sophisticated than that, not to mention more difficult than it is on the page.

Chopin—Prelude in E minor Op.28 No.4

Chopin was one of the greatest piano virtuosos of all time, making many of his compositions, which were written for himself to play, out of the range of pianist mortals. This prelude, however, represents one a small group of his compositions that miraculously contain all the weight and pathos of his greatest works, but in a form entirely accessible to even modestly talented performers.

For more easy works by this brilliant composer, check out our article Ten Of Chopin's Easiest Pieces For Piano.

Beethoven—Sonatina in G Major, Anh. 5 No. 1

There’s always room for more Beethoven in any list of great music and this piece is a gem. In two achingly tuneful movements—the first aria-like, the second scherzo-esque—it unfolds with the minimal of pianistic fuss.

Erik Satie—Gymnopédie No.1

A work that takes us, in rather melancholic fashion, into the salons of Paris. Satie’s celebrated Gymnopédie No.1 is justifiably one of the most famous twentieth-century works for keyboard. And yet it is also one other most straightforward, its chief difficulty being the large left hand leaps. If those are a bit too much for you, take a look at our simplified version, which loses none of the melodic charm of the original.