The last few shows have mentioned playing chords or pop songs or getting creative at the piano in some way. Talking about it is great and your piano kid might really be interested in playing some pop tunes but getting started can feel a little overwhelming. That’s why I put together this list of 10 songs that are perfect to play along with a YouTube video and I have the videos embedded on the show notes for this episode.
I chose these songs because most of them use only a few chords (most of them five chords or less) and those chords occur in a repeating pattern throughout the entire song or through a large portion of the song.
The basic formula for playing each chord is to have the right hand play the chord in root position (your piano teacher can share more about this) while the left hand plays the root note only. In most cases, students are holding the chord as a whole note until it’s time to play the next chord. Often, after students begin to feel the rhythm pattern and the pulse of the music they choose to try a more complex rhythmic style.
Today I’ll tell you the key the song is in and what chords you need to play to match the video.
1. Heart and Soul
- Heart and Soul by Hoagy Carmichael (Who also wrote “Georgia On My Mind”) and Frank Loesser (who wrote music and lyrics for Broadway musicals “Guys and Dolls” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”)
This is one of the first chord songs I teach my students. Even though it is very old, it still connects with most kids in a way that folk songs and nursery rhymes don’t. Do kids learn Are You Sleeping or Shoo, Fly any more?
Play C | Am | F | G in a loop the entire song.
2. How Great is Our God
How Great is Our God sung by Chris Tomlin
I love teaching Heart and Soul and How Great Is Our God to students after they learn “Beach Party” in the Piano Adventures Lesson Book 2B.
The video I’ve included here is long, almost seven minutes, so I don’t have students play through the whole thing during their lesson. I love that the tempo is slow and starts with only Chris singing and playing the piano. Sometimes students struggle to know when to change the chord if they aren’t counting so I help them. Once the band joins in at 3:05, students have a much easier time feeling the pulse of the music.
I love commenting to my students, “You didn’t realize you were going to play in a concert with Chris Tomlin when you came to your lesson today!”
Loop C | C | Am | Am | F | F | for the verse
Loop C | C | Am | Am | F | G | for the chorus
3. Count on Me
As with any popular music, parents should preview and filter what they allow their children to listen to. Much of Bruno Mars music is catchy and fun to listen to. Unfortunately, a lot of his lyrics are not appropriate for children. This tune, Count on Me, is a nice exception. The lyrics are clean and wholesome and the chords are easy to follow.
Loop C | Em | Am G | F for verse and chorus
Play Dm | Em | F | G for the pre-chorus
4. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight by the Tokens
The perfect song for students who have learned their I-IV-I-V7-I chord progressions. Too many students are taught that chord progression to tack onto the end of their scales but they haven’t been taught the functionality of the chords.
Reinforce those chords with The Lion Sleeps Tonight and watch your piano kid’s face light up!
I’ve been using this song with my students who have just learned about intervals of a sixth. After they play “Boxcar Rumble” in their Piano Adventures Lesson Book 2B. Instead of playing the full chords, these students play the two outside notes:
For F, they play a fifth from F to C.
For Bb, they play a sixth from F to D.
For C7, they play a sixth from C to E.
Key of F Loop F | Bb | F | C7 | throughout the entire song
5. Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
If you thought The Lion was easy, get ready for this…..
This entire, iconic southern rock anthem is built with three chords in a perpetual loop!
(Actually, this is a great lesson for our piano kids. How many years did Lynyrd Skynyrd tour? How many concerts did they do? How many thousands of times must they have played this song? Remind your piano kid of that the next time they grumble about having to practice their music for the tenth time. LOL)
Loop D C | G
D and C are half note chords and hold the G chord four beats like a whole note
6. Revelation Song
Revelation Song sung by Kari Jobe
Fun Fact: Kari’s father, Mark Jobe, was invited by my father to come preach a youth event at our church. He and his wife, Sandy, came for the week and brought their two young daughters, Kari and Kristen with them. Kari couldn’t have been more than four years old so if you ask her about it, she won’t remember. I do remember, though; and I remember how kind and patient her mother was toward me to let me talk to her about my junior high social worries. Sweet memories but enough about me, let’s get back to that list….
Since you know D, C, and G, let’s add one more chord, A minor. This is another song that goes at a slow enough pace to keep from overwhelming students trying to navigate the piano keys.
Loop D | Am | C | G for the entire song
7. Canon in D
There is a running joke among cellists that this tune is like staying after class to write sentences on the chalk board. (Click here to see what I mean) With apologies to all cellists out there, this repetition is the very reason I included this tune on our list. My students start out a little hesitant when they first try to play but gain confidence with each repetition.
Very young students could practice piano geography simply by finding each piano key (not the full chord) in succession with the video.
You probably already know that you can change the playback speed of YouTube videos. The good news is slowing the playback or speeding it up does not change the pitch or the key of the tune. Slowing the video down is a big help when students are first learning the piece.
Loop half note chords D A | Bm F#m | G D | G A |
8. Stand By Me
This is the one Tony Parlapiano taught one of his young students. We mentioned it in our chat in episode 127.
I like the walking bass line in the introduction and continuing throughout the song. I think your piano kid will love the way they sound when they master this pattern!
As I was searching out just the right video to share for each of these songs, I found a great YouTube channel, Chords For You. This channel appears to be hosted by a guitar player but chords are chords. A D major chord for guitar is the same D major chord for piano.
Chords For You has tons of videos of all kinds of music. Each video has the lyrics with chord symbols, perfect for playing along. When your piano kid is finished with this list, they might enjoy exploring the Chords For You YouTube channel.
Loop A | A |F#m | F#m |D |E |A | A for the entire song
9. I'm Yours
There is a C#/E# chord at the end of the second verse (1:42) and at the end. I just have my younger piano kids rest and get ready for the chorus.
There is also an eight-measure vamp (2:09 – 2:34) where the chords change rather quickly and new inversions are added. I would simply count the eight measures and get ready to jump back in when the third verse starts.
Loop B | F# | G#m | E for the most part
10. Hotel California
Hotel California by The Eagles
My husband knows I love this chord progression. Any time he’s playing guitar and walk past him, he stops whatever he was playing and starts the opening chords of Hotel California. (I love that guy!)
This video is from the Eagles’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If you ever find yourself in Cleveland, Ohio, take a few hours and visit.
There is a sixteen measure introduction on this video. This is a great opportunity for piano kids to learn how to count multiple measures, something they don’t do playing solo piano. As they are counting four beats per measure, simply change the first beat to the next measure number: count 1-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4-, 3-2-3-4, etc.
Verse -play twice: Bm | F# | A | E | G | D | Em | F#
Chorus : G | D | F# | Bm | G | D | Em | F#
Thanks for listening!
My students and I have had a lot of fun test driving these tunes for you. I hope you and your piano kid will enjoy them as well.
What songs do you enjoying playing along with on YouTube? Post a link in the comments below.
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