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Jazz piano songs come in all tempos, difficulties, and styles. In this article, we will look at the best Jazz piano songs for beginners.
Jazz piano can be challenging. With this being said, there are still levels to it, and if you take it slow and work on the basics/easy songs, you can get off to a good start.
What’s great about jazz piano is that a highly talented pianist can play the same song as a beginner, only they will sound much more complex.
Even those who are not in love with jazz music are 100% useful for theory and learning how to improvise to your favorite songs.
Over the years, online piano lessons such as Pianote, Skoove, and Flowkey have taught certain jazz piano songs to their students, which is excellent.
The reason for this is simple: jazz piano songs are often looked at as challenging. Exposing newer students to jazz music early on will build up their confidence and make it so jazz piano basics don’t seem foreign.
Let’s take a look at some easy jazz piano songs for beginner pianists.
1) Thelonious Monk – “Round Midnight”
“Round Midnight” has an incredibly infectious melody throughout the entire song. Thelonious Monk is one of the more influential jazz pianists, and this is one of his most famous songs.
While this song may sound challenging, there are several versions of it, and if you take it slow, you will find that it’s not as hard as you expected.
Keep in mind; you won’t be able to play it like some of the greats play it, especially right away.
2) Joseph Kosma – “Autumn Leaves”
The chord progression in this song is one of my favorites in jazz and rock music. It brings out so many emotions, no matter how it’s played.
“Autumn Leaves” was a number one song back in 1955, and legends have covered it throughout time.
Whenever I hear this song, I am constantly reminded of bands like Steely Dan, as you can tell the influence it has on them.
“Autumn Leaves” is a perfect jazz piano song for beginners as it’s not too challenging and teaches you an excellent chord progression that you will often navigate in jazz music.
3) Bart Howard – “Fly Me To The Moon”
“Fly Me To The Moon” is one of the most timeless songs that I can recall. While this is a beautiful jazz piano song, it’s also not very challenging to play.
It’s also a great song to know should you ever perform, as so many people worldwide know of it.
While the chord progression is excellent and easy to follow, the melody makes this song famous.
It’s infectious from start to finish, and it feels nostalgic every time you listen to it.
4) Frank Churchill & Larry Morey – “Some Day My Prince Will Come”
You likely know this jazz piano song from “Snow White”; however, it was written by Frank Churchill & Larry Morey.
“Some Day My Prince Will Come” is a perfect song for jazz piano beginners to learn along their journey.
From an excellent chord progression to a pretty melody, “Some Day My Prince Will Come” really pulls at your heartstrings.
5) Duke Ellington – “Take The A-Train”
“Take The A-Train” is written by Billy Strayhorn and performed by Duke Ellington- one of the most influential jazz pianists.
The song is a bit quicker than some of the other songs on here that we have mentioned but still can be managed by beginners.
“Take The A-Train” is a song about the New York City subway in the early 1930s. It has been recorded by some of the most famous jazz pianists of all time.
6) John Coltrane – “MR. P.C.”
This song grooves throughout its entirety. It’s not the easiest of songs to learn, but it becomes easier if you take your time and break it down.
The song was written for John Coltrane’s bassist, Paul Chambers. The melody is exciting, and the chord progression is excellent for beginners to learn on their jazz piano journey.
7) Duke Ellington – “C Jam Blues”
C Jam Blues is a classic that is great for beginners new to jazz piano. It features a classic walking bassline in your left hand that gets you used to using your left hand.
Overall, this is not a hard song to learn, and it is a perfect piece for beginners to start with.
While this isn’t the most groundbreaking jazz song, it is essential as it attacks the basics in its chord progression and walking bassline.
8) Jerome Kern – “The Way You Look Tonight”
The Way You Look Tonight is an instant classic by Jerome Kern and performed by Frank Sinatra.
From the melody to the chord progression, this song pulls you in.
When learning this song, there will be a lot of room for improvisation, so it’s one you can revisit as you get better at jazz piano.
9) Bobby Timmons – “Moanin”
Moanin is an incredibly catchy tune; that’s just the way it is. What’s infectious about this song is its right-hand melody.
It’s easy for beginners to learn, and it has a relatively easy left-hand approach.
The right-hand pretty much leads this entire song, with the left-hand coming in for some chords occasionally.
I’ve always been drawn to songs like Moanin, in which you can space out and listen to the melody take control.
10) Stevie Wonder – “Isn’t She Lovely”
It would be impossible not to include Stevie Wonder when talking about jazz piano classics. There are many arrangements of this tune that range from easy to hard difficulties.
There are also many tutorials on Youtube for easier versions of this instant-classic jazz piano song.
Everyone knows the incredibly catchy melody in this song, but the chord progression is also impressive and beautiful.
There’s a lot of feeling throughout the entirety of Isn’t She Lovely.
Wrapping Up
I hope you enjoyed our list of the best easy jazz piano songs that you can learn today. Let me know of any jazz classics I might’ve missed in the comments!
2 comments
Says 15 songs but only give 10
There’s been a supply shortage all across the country.