Songs with easy chords

If you're just setting out on the piano, I would suggest trying to play the theme tune to the "Titanic" film, "My Heart Will Go On". See if you can play the first chords, C, G, F and Am, and imagine (or sing!) the lyrics. Simply hold the chord down until you get to the next one. The next step is to repeat the chord once, in time with the music, so that the chord provides the beat as well as the harmony.

Next off, see if you can learn how to play Bb major and then have a look at "Candle In The Wind". Again, begin by simply holding the chord down, and then try to repeat the chord in time with the beat of the music. Once you can move reasonably quickly between each chord, you may want to check out this guide on how to use the sustain pedal in order to create a smoother and more professional sound.

I recommend learning these three chords to start with - G major, C major and D major, as they all involve using just three fingers. A good song to use to practise moving between the chords is "Happy Birthday". Once you've got the idea of this, try out A minor chord. Then you're ready for that Bob Dylan classic, "Knocking On Heavens Door". Try to play with simple downstrocks and keep a steady time.

The second group of songs (from "Friends Theme" downwards) are in this section due to the level of difficulty in performing some of the more complicated chords involved. The first three songs are Coldplay classics, and begin with the easiest one - "The Scientist". Here the chords only involve one black key on the piano - the Bb. However, the next two songs ("Clocks" and "Fix You") involve working with many black keys. If you are playing Clocks or Fix You on the guitar, you may wish to consider changing these songs into an easier key (otherwise a lot of barre chords will be required). I have including some alternative keys (with chords) which make these songs a little easier!

The next three songs - "Unchained Melody" (theme to the Ghost movie), "Dancing In The Moonlight" and "Yesterday" (The Beatles) all date back to the 1960's but have also been covered and revived at various times. ("Yesterday" holds the record for the most covered song in recording musical history!)

The final two songs in this section are a little more contemporary in nature - Robbie William's "Angels" and the Christina Aguilera diva epic "Beautiful". Look out for the inverted E chord (E/G#) in Angels, and the descending bass of Beautiful.