Conquer Your New Year’s Resolution: Improve Your Piano Skills!
Resolve to play the piano this year! Check out all the resources we have to help you succeed at all playing levels.
It’s a new year, and you’re motivated to dust off the piano and develop your skills! Musicnotes has everything you need, from warming up your fingers to learning the classics to showing off your skills with some pop hits! Wherever you are in your piano journey, check out all our resources from beginner to advanced!
Beginner/Early Intermediate
If you’re just starting out or reviewing the basics, this is a great place to start! To start from the very beginning, check out this helpful blog post.
Beginner Notes
Our Beginner Notes arrangements include the treble clef notes with note names listed inside the noteheads. As an added challenge, chord symbols are noted above the staff in most arrangements, so try to play chords in the left hand along with the main melody in the right hand!
5 Finger Piano
Our 5 Finger arrangements are a step up from Beginner Notes; they include both hands, but they usually stay in a set hand position.
Big Note Piano
Our Big Note piano arrangements are a step above 5 Finger; they involve a little more hand movement, and more accompaniment notes are added to the melody to make the song more interesting!
Collections
Purchase these as a set or as individual pieces:
· “Album for the Young, Op. 68” by Robert Schumann: These songs were originally written by Schumann for his three daughters. The first eighteen pieces are meant for beginner players, and the pieces after that gradually progress in difficulty.
· “The Five Fingers” by Igor Stravinsky: These surprisingly simple songs by Stravinsky generally keep the fingers in a 5-finger hand position, making them a great start for your classical journey.
· “First Lessons in Bach” arranged by Walter Carroll: This collection features the easiest keyboard works from Bach, including some well-known minuets.
· Top 25 Beginner Note Piano Arrangements: This collection features our most popular Beginner Note pieces, including “Over the Rainbow,” “A Thousand Years,” and “He’s a Pirate.”
· Easy Piano Pop/Rock Hits in the Key of C: This great collections of songs recorded in the key of C Major includes songs by Taylor Swift, Cyndi Lauper, Carole King, and more!
Beginner Musicnotes Editions
If you want to delve into the classics, folk, and jazz, we have a great selection of easy piano arrangements of some well-known pieces!
Beginner Piano Solos
· “Fireflies” by Carolyn Miller
· “The Singing Mermaid” by Edna Mae Burnam
· “Jumpin’ Jazz” by Eric Baumgartner
Intermediate
If you have some foundational knowledge, but your playing level is somewhere in the middle, we have the resources for you!
Easy Piano
Easy Piano arrangements cover a wide variety of playing levels, but they include accompaniment elements to make a song sound interesting and playable.
Collections
· “12 Easy Pieces” by Franz Joseph Haydn: These pieces are a great introduction to the Classical period style of playing. Fingering suggestions are included, and be sure to begin practicing these songs at a comfortable tempo.
· Complete Two-Part Inventions of Johann Sebastian Bach: A must-have in all piano players’ libraries, these short Baroque pieces are a great warm-up for the fingers, and they’re a great study in bringing out the important melodic parts in a song.
· “Kabalevsky Sonatina, Op. 13, No. 1” by Dmitri Kabalevsky: This exciting piece is a great option for an upcoming performance. Focus on mastering one movement at a time.
Intermediate Musicnotes Editions
We have a great selection of sacred, classical, and folk Musicnotes Editions at the intermediate level!
Intermediate Piano Solos
· “Sonatina in Classic Style” by William L. Gillock
· “The White Cliffs of Dover” by Edna Mae Burnam
· “Candlelight Prelude” by Carol Klose
Advanced
You’re ready to take it to the next level! Explore your musicality and see what your fingers can do with these arrangements.
Piano Solos
If you’re not sure where to start, check out our large selection of piano solos covering a variety of genres, including classical, pop, and more!
Collections
· “The Well-Tempered Clavier, Complete Book 1” by Johann Sebastian Bach: This set features preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys. They have a lot of moving parts, so be sure to highlight the melodic line as you practice.
· “Etudes de Macanisme Op. 849” by Carl Czerny: These studies focus on a specific technique but also sound like a classical piece rather than an exercise.
Advanced Musicnotes Editions
Take your pick from this selection of beautiful advanced Musicnotes Editions piano pieces!
Advanced Piano Solos
· “Serenades: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair” by Sonny Chua
· “Prelude IV (Dreaming On)” by Christopher Norton
Signature Artist Resources
We have a great variety of Signature Artists that offer educational piano solos in a variety of genres!
· Jonny May / Piano With Jonny
Piano Resources: Scales, Arpeggios, and More!
· Free Resources: This useful page includes our Freebie of the Month, Major/Minor Scales and Arpeggios, Musicnotes Editions freebies, and free staff paper if you’re ready to compose the next great song!
· Musicnotes Decks App: Test your knowledge on music symbols, notes of the bass clef, and notes of the treble clef with this free app!
· Hanon’s “The Virtuoso Pianist” Part I, Exercises 1-20
· Hanon’s “The Virtuoso Pianist” Part II, Exercises 21-43
· Hanon’s “The Virtuoso Pianist” Part III, Exercises 44-60
· The Art of Finger Dexterity, Op. 740: Etudes 1-10 by Carl Czerny
· The Art of Finger Dexterity, Op. 740: Etudes 11-20 by Carl Czerny
· The Art of Finger Dexterity, Op. 740: Etudes 21-30 by Carl Czerny
· The Art of Finger Dexterity, Op. 740: Etudes 31-40 by Carl Czerny
· The Art of Finger Dexterity, Op. 740: Etudes 41-50 by Carl Czerny
Happy playing, and be sure to explore these resources on our Musicnotes app!