Introduction: notes and letters on a piano keyboard
Before we learn how to play the easiest piano songs with letters, we need to go back to the notes they are attached to on a piano keyboard.
The idea here is to show you the location of each note in an octave so that you can easily find your way around your own piano and play the songs listed below.
Here is the diagram showing the piano keys chart:
Take the time to read this diagram carefully so that you can understand the location of all the notes on the piano. Once you have them well in mind, you can easily follow the piano song tutorials below showing all the note letters for each of the hands to play.
1 – Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is a popular English nursery rhyme based on a poem, The Star, written by Jane Taylor and first published in England in 1806.
Today, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is one of the most popular songs in the world. It’s therefore very frequently played on the piano by beginners.
We will now look at how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano by approaching the notes with letters in the right hand and those in the left hand.
If you are interested in this song, we have written an article on the subject presenting the complete tutorial and the free piano sheet music of Twinkle Twinkle Little star on piano. You can also find it in our ranking of the best piano songs for kids.
If you like this kind of music, you might like the best Disney songs to play on the piano.
Notes of the right hand
To play the right hand notes of the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you must follow the following letter sequence:
C – C – G – G – A – A – G – F – F – E – E – D – D – C – G – G – F – F – E – E – D – G – G – F – F – E – E – D – C – G – G – A – G – F – F – E – E – D – C.
When you play this sequence of notes on the piano, you are actually playing the entire right hand of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Practice playing all of these notes one after the other in a loop. After a while, your playing will become fluid.
Now let’s see how to play the left hand notes.
Notes of the left hand
To play the left hand notes of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, simply play the following letters one after the other:
E – E – E – F – F – E – D – D – C – C – B – B – C – E – E – D – D – C – B – E – E – D – C – C – G – E – E – E – F – G – A – B – C – D – A – G – C – G – G – C.
Play all these notes in a row on your piano and you will master the whole left hand melody of the song.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
Now that you have mastered the left and right hands of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you need to play both hands at the same time. To do this, you can watch the following tutorial video, which shows the notes to play and the corresponding letters:
>> Learn easily the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
2 – Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You is a popular song inspired by a popular song, Good Morning to All, composed by Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill in 1893.
It is now traditionally sung to celebrate the birthday of a loved one.
Happy Birthday to You is therefore one of the most played songs on the piano. In this part, we will see how to learn to play it with both hands and the letters of the notes.
Notes of the right hand
To learn how to play the right hand of Happy Birthday on the piano, simply play the following sequence of notes:
G – A – G – C – B – G – G – A – G – D – C – G – G – G – E – C – C – B – A – F – F – E – C – D – C.
The letters above correspond to the sequence of notes in the right hand of the song.
Let’s see now how to play those of the left hand.
Notes of the left hand
To play the left hand notes of Happy Birthday to You, follow the following letter sequence:
C – C – G – G – C – C – F – F – C – G – C.
This is a short and easy sequence. However, it should be played at specific points in the song to accompany the right hand. This is what we are going to see right now.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
To learn how to play the two hands of Happy Birthday to You on the piano, watch the tutorial video below showing the notes and letters:
>> Learn easily Happy Birthday on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
3 – Star Wars Theme
Star Wars Theme is a song composed by the world famous musician John Williams, released in 1977 on the occasion of the release of the movie Star Wars: A New Hope.
It’s a world famous theme today and performed by many amateur pianists.
The song is very easy to play and relatively short, which makes it a perfect music to learn to play on the piano with the note letters.
You can find more songs of this kind in our article dedicated to the best Star Wars songs to play on the piano.
Notes of the right hand
The right hand notes of Star Wars Theme are not very difficult to play. You just have to follow the sequence of the following letters:
C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – F – D – C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – F – E – D – C – D – E – D – F – E – D – C – G – D – F – E – D – C – C – C – D – E – D D – E – D – C – A# – G# – G – F – D# – C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – D – C – G – F – E – F – D – C – C – C.
By playing all these notes one after the other, you get the whole right hand of the Star Wars piano melody.
Notes of the left hand
Now let’s see how to play the notes with the left hand. You just have to press all the notes corresponding to the following letters on your keyboard:
G – G – G – G – G – G – G – G – A – A – A – B – G – G – A – A – G – A – B – G – G – G – G – G – G – G – G – G – G – G – A – C – G – G – G – G – G – G – G – G.
Play all these letters in a row on your piano and you will have the whole left hand of Star Wars.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
Play Star Wars Theme with both hands at the same time, respecting the time of the notes and the tempo by watching the following video tutorial:
>> Learn easily the song Star Wars Theme on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
4 – Ode to Joy
Ode to Joy is a famous song composed by the virtuoso musician Ludwig van Beethoven, first published in Germany in 1786.
The composition is now so famous and symbolic that it was adopted as the official anthem of Europe in 1972, celebrating joy and unity. It’s one of the most popular classical piano songs.
Ode to Joy is a very easy song to play on the piano. So we will learn it through the notes belonging to both hands.
You can find more pieces of this kind in our article dedicated to the best Beethoven compositions to play on the piano.
Notes of the right hand
Press the notes in the following letter sequence to play the entire right hand melody of the song Ode to Joy on the piano:
E – E – F – G – G – F – E – D – C – C – D – E – E – D – E – F – G – G – F – E – D – C – C – D – E – D – E – C – D – E – F – E – C – D – E – F – E – D – C – D – G – G – E – E – F – G – G – F – E – D – C – D – E – D – C.
All these notes represent the whole melody of Ode to Joy performed by the right hand on the piano. Now let’s look at the left hand notes of this song.
Notes of the left hand
Perform this sequence of notes to play the song with the left hand to accompany the melody of the right hand [Note: when two notes are played at the same time, constituting a chord, we have linked them with a “+” symbol ]:
C+G – C+G – E – F – G – C+G – C+G – E – F – G – C+G – F+G – F+G – G – D – G – C+G – E – F – G – C+G.
This succession of notes represents the tune of Ode to Joy played with the left hand.
Now you have to play both hands at the same time.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
To play the notes of both hands of the song simultaneously, watch the following tutorial video:
>> Learn easily the song Ode to Joy on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
5 – Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells is a traditional song generally used at Christmas time. It was composed by James Lord Pierpont and published for the first time in 1857 by Oliver Ditson in the city of Boston in the United States.
Today it’s one of the most popular Christmas songs played on the piano. If you like the Christmas atmosphere, you will also like our article dedicated to the best Christmas piano songs.
We will see how to play the two hands of Jingle Bells through the sequence of letters corresponding to the notes of the music.
You can also find our tutorial articles that focuses exclusively on how to play Jingle Bells on the piano or Silent Night piano notes.
Notes of the right hand
To play the Jingle Bells melody on the piano (right hand), simply follow the sequence of notes below:
E – D – C – E – D – C – F – E – D – G – F – D – E – D – C – E – D – C – F – E – D – G – G – G – A – G – F – D – G – E – E – E – E – E – E – E – E – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – F – G – D – E – F – F – F – E – E – E – D – D – E – D – G – E – E – E – E – E – G – D – E – F – F – F – E – E – E – G – G – F – D.
By playing all these notes in a row, you get the right hand of the song! Once you have practiced this sequence, you can learn the left hand.
Notes of the left hand
To play the left hand of Jingle Bells on the piano, perform the following sequence of notes:
G – G – G – G – G – G – A – A – B – B – C – G – G – G – G – G – G – A – A – B – B – C – C – G – C – G – C+G – C – G – B – G – C – G – F# – G – C – G – C – G – C – G+C – C – G – B – G – C – G – G – G – G – A – B – C.
Practice several times in a row on this sequence of letters. Once you have mastered it, switch to both hands at the same time.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
Watch the following tutorial video in order to play both hands at the same time and respect the note times and the rhythm of the song:
>> Learn easily the song Jingle Bells on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
6 – Bella Ciao
Bella Ciao is a traditional Italian song that commemorates the commitment to combat of World War II soldiers, with lyrics written in 1944.
It gained worldwide fame when it was covered as part of the soundtrack for the hit Netflix series La Casa de Papel in 2017.
Since its airing in the series, the song’s fame has continued to grow to be one of the most played piano songs today.
The original music is not necessarily very easy to play on the piano. However, it has been covered many times and some of them are simplified versions of the original.
It’s one of these versions that we will learn the notes.
Notes of the right hand
To learn how to play the right hand notes of the song Bella Ciao on the piano, press the following keys on your piano one after the other:
E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – B – A – C – B – A – E – E – E – D – E – F – F – E – D – F – E – E – D – C – B – E – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – B – A – E – E – E – D – E – F – F – E – D – F – E – D – C – B – E – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – B – A – E – E – E – D – E – F – F – E – D – F – E – D – C – B – E – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – A – E – A – B – C – B – A – E – E – E – D – E – F – F – E – D – F – E – E – D – C – B – E – B – C – A.
By playing this series of letters with your right hand, you will easily recognize the melody of the song Bella Ciao.
Notes of the left hand
Now that you have mastered the right hand, let’s look at the left hand notes. To play the left hand, you must play this sequence of letters in the right order:
A – C – C – A – C – C – A – A – C# – C# – D – A – E – G# – G# – A – A – C – C – A – C – C – A – A – C# – C# – D – A – E – G# – G# – A – A – C – C – A – C – C – A – A – C# – C# – D – A – E – G# – G# – A – A – C – C – A – A – C# – C# – D – A – E – G# – A.
This sequence of notes gives the accompaniment of Bella Ciao with the left hand.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
Watch the following tutorial video to learn how to play Bella Ciao with both hands, respecting the time of the notes and the original tempo of the song:
>> Learn easily the song Bella Ciao on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
7 – Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary Had a Little Lamb is a nursery rhyme of American origin dating from the 19th century. It was first published in 1830 as an original poem by Sarah Josepha Hale.
It’s one of the most played piano songs for beginners in the United States.
This may be due in part to its extreme ease. That’s why we put it in this ranking.
So let’s see how to play the notes of Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano.
Notes of the right hand
To play the right hand of Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano, press the following keys one after another:
E – D – C – D – E – E – E – D – D – E – G – G – E – D – C – D – E – E – E – D – E – D – E – D – C – E – D – C – D – E – E – E – D – D – E – G – G – E – D – C – D – E – E – E – E – D – D – E – D – C.
Learn by heart this sequence of notes and you will be able to play the whole melody of the song.
Now let’s see the notes to play with the left hand.
Notes of the left hand
The following sequence of letters will allow you to play the accompaniment (i.e. the left hand) of the entire song:
C – G – C – G – G – D – C – G – C – G – G – D – C – C – G – C – G – G – D – C – G – C – G – C – G – G – D – C.
Play these notes over and over again so that you can master the left hand of Mary Had a Little Lamb perfectly.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
To play the whole popular song on the piano, please refer to the following tutorial video that will show you the letters of the notes to learn Mary Had a Little Lamb at your own pace:
>> Learn easily the song Mary Had a Little Lamb on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
8 – London Bridge Is Falling Down
London Bridge Is Falling Dawn is a traditional children’s song that originated in England most likely in the Middle Ages. The first printed versions of the song date from the 18th century and it was not until the following century that it became world famous.
Today, London Bridge Is Falling Dawn is popular in all countries and is very popular with young children who want to start playing the piano.
Its popularity and the ease with which it can be played on the piano have led us to include it in this ranking and to make it a piano tutorial.
Notes of the right hand
To play the entire right hand of London Bridge Is Falling Down on the piano, play the following notes:
D – E – D – C – C – D – C – D – D – E – D – C – C – D – D.
Play this sequence of letters over and over until you master it. Then you can switch to the left hand.
Notes of the left hand
In this part, there are not many notes to play with the left hand to accompany the right hand. You just have to press these few keys in a row:
B – A – B – C – B – B – A – B – G.
Very easy, isn’t it? Now that you have mastered the two hands independently, let’s see how to play the whole piece.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
To learn how to play London Bridge Is Falling Down with both hands, with all its nuances and depths of play, see the following tutorial video:
>> Learn easily the song London Bridge on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
9 – The Lord of the Rings Theme
The Lord of the Rings Theme is the main song of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson between 2000 and 2004.
This music, composed by Howard Shore, is one of the most popular in the history of cinema.
Today, The Lord of the Rings Theme is one of the most popular piano songs ever written.
Moreover, it’s easy to play. Let’s see how to learn it simply through the letters of the notes.
You can find more film music in our articles dedicated to the best Harry Potter piano songs or the best Elton John’s piano pieces.
Notes of the right hand
To play the right hand of The Lord of the Rings Theme, refer to the following sequence of notes:
D – F# – A – F# – E – D – F# – A – B – D – C# – A – F# – G – F# – E – D – E – F# – A – E – F# – D – F# – A – B – A – F# – E – D – E – F# – A – F# – E – D – F# – F# – A – B – D – C# – A – F – E – D – E – F# – A – F# – E – D – F# – A – B – B – A – F# – E – D – E – F# – F# – B – C# – D – C# – A – F# – E – D – E F# – F# – B – C# – D – C# – D – B – D – C – D – G – A# – A – G – F – E – D+D – C+C – C+C – D+D – G – A – A# – A – A# – C – E – F# – G# – B – G# – F# – E – G# – B – C# – B – E – D# – B – G# – F# – E – G# – B – C# – B – G# – F# – E – D# – E.
This long succession of notes allows you to play the whole melody of the song. You will see that after a few notes, you will recognize the tune very quickly and will have the impression to dive back into the fantastic universe of one of the best sagas of all times.
Once you have mastered the right hand, move on to the left hand.
Notes of the left hand
The left hand of this song is easier to play and the note sequence is shorter than the right hand. Press the notes below in succession to play the accompaniment to the song:
D – G – D – E – D – G – A – D – F# – G – F# – G – A – F# – E – D – A – B – A – B – B – A – B – C# – B – A – B – A – A – B – A – B – B – B – A – B – B – A – A – A – A – A# – A – A – F – G – F# – A – F – F – G – E – G# – A – G# – A – B – G# – F# – E – G# – A – G# – A – G# – F# – E.
This sequence represents the whole melody of The Lord of the Rings movies played with the left hand.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
Follow the tutorial video below to refer to the placement of notes on the keyboard and when to play them with both hands:
>> Learn easily The Lord of the Rings Theme on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
10 – The A Team
The A Team is a contemporary song by the world famous Irish artist Ed Sheeran. It was released in 2011 in the album +.
As soon as it was released, this pop song was a huge success with the public and critics alike. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Today, The A Team is one of the most popular piano pop songs among beginning musicians.
And that’s partly due to the ease with which it can be played quickly.
That’s why we decided to include it in this ranking and make it a tutorial for learning it on the piano.
The romanticism of this song can also be related to some anime and manga piano music. The romanticism of this song can also be related to some anime and manga piano music. You can have a look at our article on the best piano love songs if you like this kind of music.
Notes of the right hand
To play the notes with the right hand, you simply press the following keys:
C – D – A – A# – C – D – D – F – D – C – D – F – F – C – D – A – A# – C – D – D – D – F – D – C – D – F – F – A# – F – A# – A# – A# – A# – F – D – A# – A# – A# – F – D – A# – A# – A# – A# – C – D – A# – C – D – A# – F – D – A# – A# – A# – A# – F – D – A# – A# – A# – A# – F – D – A# – F – D – A# – D – D – D – D – D# – D – C – A# – A# – A# – D – D – D – C – D – C – D – F – D – D – D – D# – D – C – A# – A# – D – F – G – F – D – C – A# – A# – A# – C – D – C – D – C – D – C – D – D – C – D – C – D – A# – D – D – D – D# – D – C – A# – D – F – G – A# – A – F – D – C – A# – A# – F – D – C – A# – F – D – D – A# – F – D – C – A# – C – D – C – A# – D – A#+D.
As for The Lord of the Rings Theme, this sequence of letters is very long to realize. We advise you to play it little by little. Once you have mastered one part, you can move on to the next part. This technique will allow you to better assimilate the order of the notes to play with the right hand for the song The A Team.
Notes of the left hand
Once you have managed to play the whole right hand, you must, as usual, learn the left hand. Fortunately, there are a few less notes (phew!) for this part. Here are the keys you need to press in succession to play the accompaniment for The A Team:
A# – A# – A# – A# – A – G – G – D# – A# – A# – A# – A# – A# – A# – A# – A – G – G – D# – A# – A# – A# – C – C – C – D# – D# – D# – A# – A# – A# – A# – D – D – D – C – C – C – D# – D# – D# – A# – A# – A# – A# – F – F – F – G – G – D# – D# – A# – A# – A# – A# – G – G – D# – D# – A# – A# – A# – A# – G – G – D# – D# – A# – A# – A# – A# – G – G – D# – D# – A# – A# – F – F – G – G – D# – D# – A# – A# – A# – A# – G – G – D# – D# – A# – A#.
This is a long sequence for a left hand to accompany the melody, but it will fit eventually, I promise!
As for the right hand, work in small parts in order to gradually assimilate the letters of the notes to be played.
Both hands (piano tutorial with letters)
Once you have learned the notes for both hands, watch the piano tutorial video to familiarize yourself with the timing of each note and the tempo of The A Team:
>> Learn easily the song The A Team on piano with La Touche Musicale learning app.
If you want to learn more piano songs with letters, you can also look at this article which can complement ours with some other examples.
To learn more songs, you can check out our article on the best piano songs with easy chords.
