Easy songs to play by ear on piano
These are the 48 melodies in the trainer, short phrases from 40 well-known tunes, all in the public domain. A tune you know is easier to play by ear than random notes, because you already know how it should sound.
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How the trainer uses them
It picks one at random, skipping any you’ve had in your last 12 questions, and doesn’t say which tune it is until you’ve played it or shown the answer. At the lower levels it plays only the opening notes of the longer ones, so a level 1 question is 3 or 4 notes of a tune.
The First move column is the jump from the first note to the next different one, worked out from the notes the trainer plays. These melodies move only by step, never more than a whole step at a time: Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Twinkle (second line), London Bridge Is Falling Down, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Ode to Joy, Ode to Joy (phrase end), Canon in D and Toccata in D minor.
If you’re new to playing by ear, start with the nursery rhymes and the short method.
Nursery rhymes and folk songs
24 melodiesStart here. They’re short, mostly in C, and mostly go by step.
| Tune | By | Key | First move | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Cross Buns | Traditional | C major | down a whole step | 6 |
| Mary Had a Little Lamb | Traditional, 1830 | C major | down a whole step | 7 |
| Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | Traditional, 1761 | C major | up a fifth | 7 |
| Twinkle, Twinkle (second line) | Traditional, 1761 | C major | down a half step | 7 |
| Frère Jacques | Traditional | C major | up a whole step | 8 |
| Frère Jacques (dormez-vous) | Traditional | C major | up a half step | 6 |
| Frère Jacques (sonnez les matines) | Traditional | C major | up a whole step | 6 |
| Au clair de la lune | Traditional | C major | up a whole step | 11 |
| London Bridge Is Falling Down | Traditional | C major | up a whole step | 7 |
| Row, Row, Row Your Boat | Traditional, 1852 | C major | up a whole step | 10 |
| Old MacDonald Had a Farm | Traditional | C major | down a fourth | 7 |
| Itsy Bitsy Spider | Traditional | C major | up a fourth | 7 |
| Yankee Doodle | Traditional | C major | up a whole step | 8 |
| Happy Birthday | Hill sisters, 1893 | C major | up a whole step | 6 |
| Happy Birthday (second line) | Hill sisters, 1893 | C major | up a whole step | 6 |
| When the Saints Go Marching In | Traditional | C major | up a major third | 4 |
| When the Saints (go marching in) | Traditional | C major | up a major third | 8 |
| Oh! Susanna | Stephen Foster, 1848 | C major | up a whole step | 9 |
| Camptown Races | Stephen Foster, 1850 | C major | down a minor third | 9 |
| La Cucaracha | Traditional | F major | up a fourth | 10 |
| Auld Lang Syne | Traditional, 1788 | C major | up a fourth | 9 |
| Amazing Grace | Traditional, 1835 | G major | up a fourth | 9 |
| Greensleeves | Traditional, 1580 | A minor | up a minor third | 8 |
| Scarborough Fair | Traditional | D minor | up a fifth | 8 |
Carols
7 melodiesAll in C, and easy to hum before you play.
| Tune | By | Key | First move | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jingle Bells | Pierpont, 1857 | C major | no change | 6 |
| Jingle Bells (all the way) | Pierpont, 1857 | C major | up a minor third | 5 |
| Silent Night | Gruber, 1818 | C major | up a whole step | 4 |
| Silent Night (all is calm) | Gruber, 1818 | C major | down a minor third | 6 |
| Joy to the World | Lowell Mason, 1839 | C major | down a half step | 8 |
| Deck the Halls | Traditional | C major | down a whole step | 8 |
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas | Traditional | C major | up a fourth | 8 |
Classical openings
17 melodiesThe first bars of well-known pieces. Wider jumps, and some in keys with sharps and flats.
| Tune | By | Key | First move | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ode to Joy | Beethoven, 1824 | C major | up a half step | 8 |
| Ode to Joy (phrase end) | Beethoven, 1824 | C major | up a whole step | 7 |
| Prelude in C | Bach, 1722 | C major | up a major third | 8 |
| Minuet in G | Petzold, 1725 | G major | down a fifth | 8 |
| Bridal Chorus ("Here Comes the Bride") | Wagner, 1850 | C major | up a fourth | 8 |
| Largo (New World Symphony) | Dvořák, 1893 | C major | up a minor third | 11 |
| The Entertainer | Scott Joplin, 1902 | C major | up a half step | 8 |
| Eine kleine Nachtmusik | Mozart, 1787 | G major | down a fourth | 9 |
| Für Elise | Beethoven, 1810 | A minor | down a half step | 9 |
| Canon in D | Pachelbel, c. 1680 | D major | down a whole step | 8 |
| In the Hall of the Mountain King | Grieg, 1875 | B minor | up a whole step | 7 |
| Symphony No. 5 | Beethoven, 1808 | C minor | down a major third | 8 |
| Symphony No. 40 | Mozart, 1788 | G minor | down a half step | 10 |
| Rondo alla Turca | Mozart, 1783 | A minor | down a whole step | 10 |
| Spring (The Four Seasons) | Vivaldi, 1725 | E major | up a major third | 7 |
| Toccata in D minor | Bach, c. 1704 | D minor | down a whole step | 9 |
| Funeral March | Chopin, 1839 | B-flat minor | up a minor third | 11 |
Questions
What’s the easiest song to play by ear?
Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Both use only C, D and E, and both start on E and step down.
Are these complete tunes?
No, each is a short phrase of 4 to 12 notes, usually the opening. At the lower levels the trainer plays only the first few notes of the longer ones.
Find out which ones you can play
Connect your MIDI keyboard or digital piano, or use the on-screen keyboard.