Top10+Pop+Songs+(2nd+Edition)

resource guide:

1. LE LET T IT IT BE BE - Bea eatl tles es 2. LEA LEAN N ON ME - Bi Bill ll Wit Withe hers rs 3. HALLEL HALLELUJ UJAH AH - Le Leon onar ard d Cohen 4. HE HEY Y JUDE JUDE - Be Beat atle less 5. CL CLOC OCKS KS - Co Cold ldpl play ay 6. PIA PIANO NO MAN MAN - Bi Bill lly y Joe Joell 7. SIMP SIMPSO SON’ N’S S TH THEM EME, E, JAMES BOND THEME, PINK PANTHER 8. HOTE HOTEL L CALI CALIFO FORN RNIA IA The Eagles 9. HOUS HOUSE E OF TH THE E RISI RISING NG SUN - The Animals 10. YOU RAISE RAISE ME UP (made (made famous by Josh Groban)

FOR BEGINNER PIANO STUDENTS

resource guide:

MY TOP 10 POP SONGS FOR BEGINNER PIANO STUDENTS

Finding the right pop music to teach your piano students can be a challenge. Sometimes students will bring in music that they want to play, or just say “I'd really like to learn this!” . But other times, you may want to explore a specic pop song as song as a way to practise a skill that the the student has been learning: learning: perhaps chords, progressions, rhythm, pulse or inversions. I start teaching my students about naming, forming and playing chords from the very rst lesson, but unless they pu t this knowledge into some kind of musical p ractice, their newly-found knowledge will seem disconnected and practice will be unlikely. For this reason, the two best ways of putting chord knowledge into action is via improvising and composing with chords and/or playing pop music. The latter is what this cheat sheet is all about *. This is a list of 10 easy pop songs that songs that I use to teach students about chords, progressions and music in general, in approximate order from easiest to hardest. If any of these are unfamiliar to you (I'd be surprised!), then take a listen to them on YouTube before you start teaching. teaching. Make sure you're you're happy with the song and know know how it goes before you explore it with w ith students. Be certain to decide how you want to teach it too: with the music, from chords, demo and copy (rote), etc. Need help teaching chords in your studio? Then head to timtopham.com/chords to watch my chord teaching in action and to download my free step-by-step step-by-step lesson plans. Stay tuned for more help about how I teach these pop songs. I'll be sending them to your email inbox soon :) Happy teaching!

* Due to copyright restrictions, restrictions, I haven’t been able to include include notation for these works and instead instead have included chord charts (which actually suits the way I’d encourage you to teach these pieces in any case). If you’d like to view the notation notation for these works, just google google the title with “piano sheet music” at the end of your search, or head straight to noviscore.com or musicnotes.com for good arrangements.

1. LET IT BE VERSE (x2)

CHORUS

The Beatles

C

G

Am

F

C

G

F

C

Am

G

F

C

C

G

F

C

[VERSE 1] C

G

Am

F

When I nd myself in times times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to to me C

G

F

C

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be C

G

Am

F

And in my hour of darkness, She is standing right in front of me C

G

F

C

Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be

[CHORUS]

Am Am

G

F

C

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be C

G

F

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

C

You might wonder about the relevance of songs 1 and 4 given they were composed around 45 years ago and I’m all about helping you be modern and progressive in your your teaching! The thing is that kids these days still seem to know and like these Beatles tunes (which says a lot about the quality of the original song-writing!). They have timeless appeal and can be played with simple, steady rhythms, even by beginners. You can teach both of these these pieces by having the student play rhythmic chords to keep the beat and adding 7ths or slash chords as and when they can (until then, just play the root position triads). They are also great songs to use with a backing track app like NoteStar for iPad when students have mastered the progressions.

© TOP MUSIC EDUCATION PTY LTD 2017 • TIMTOPHAM.COM/POPSONGS

2. LEAN ON ME

Bill Withers

This is the piano ri that you can play as root position chords and it still sounds good! If you just play the chords C, C, Dm, Em, F and then back down according to the rhythm below, students will quickly have a sense of how to play this piece. Because Because it’s in C major, they’ll be able to play along to the recording. So here are the chords for the intro: INTRO

C...

C...

C

➔

walk up

➔

F

F

➔

walk down ➔

C

C

➔

walk up

➔

Em

C

➔

walk up

➔

F

F

➔

walk down ➔

C

C

➔

walk down ➔

G

➔

Dm

➔

C

And that pattern continues through the verse, walking up from C > F and down from F > C again!

VERSE C

C

Dm Em F

F Em Dm

C

Sometimes in our lives... we all have pain C

Dm Em Em

Dm

We al l ha ve so rr ow C

F

F

C

But if we are wise, we know that there's C

G

C

Al wa ys to mo rr ow

Here is the rhythm:


3. HALLELUJAH

Leonard Cohen

Here are the chords:

VERSE

CHORUS

INTERLUDE

C

Am

C

Am

F

F G

C

G

C

F G

Am

F

G

E7

Am

Am

F

F

Am

Am

F

F

C

G

C

Am

C

Am

C

Am

Another crowd-pleaser, both for students but also for parents and those listening to your student’s playing. This is another song with a triple feel - this time time in 6/8. It’s also also a really fun fun one to learn because it’s in C major meaning that students can play along to the recording straight away. Most students know this song due to it being used in the movie “Shrek” and it’s one of the songs you’ll nd on Yamaha’s “Notestar” app which is a fantastic resource for backing tracks that include the vocals.

C

Am

I heard there was a secret chord. That David played and it pleased the Lord F

F

G

C

G

But you don't really care for music, do you? C

F

G

Am

F

We ll it go es li ke th is th e fo ur th , th e fi ft h. Th e mi no r fa ll an d th e ma jo r li ft

G

E7

Am

The baffled king composing Hallelujah [CHORUS] F

Am

F

C

G

C

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu-u-u-u-jah . . .


4. HEY JUDE in C VERSE (X2)

The Beatles (original key:F)

C

G

G7

C

F

C

G

C

C7 (LAST TIME) C7

F

C /E

Dm

Dm7 /C

G7 /B

G7

C

F

C /E

Dm

Dm7 /C

G7 /B

G7

C

BRIDGE

C7

G

NANANA!

C

CHORUS

F

B♭

C

[VERSE 1] C

G

G7

C

Hey Jude don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better F

C

G

C

Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better. [VERSE 2] C

G

G7

C

Hey Jude don't be afraid. You were made to go out and get her F

C

G

C

The minute you let her under your skin. Then you begin to make it better. [CHORUS] C7

C /E

F

Dm

And anytime you feel the the pain. Hey, Jude, refrain, Dm7 /C

G7 /B

G7

C

Don't carry the world upon your shoulders. C7

F

C /E

Dm

For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool Dm7 /C

G7 /B

G7

C

By making his world a little colder. [REFRAIN] C

B♭

Na na na na na na na

F

C

na na na na Hey Jude

The original key of Hey Jude opens-up another teaching point with students about the idea of transposition, because if they'd like to play this song with the original recording on YouTube, they'll need to play it F Major. What does it mean to transpose to a new key? How do you do it? What sharps/ ats are involved? These are all great questions that you can delve into using this song as a base. My students can't get enough of the two Beatles songs I've included here as they can learn them quickly and you can go in all sorts of exciting teaching directions (eg. into the Circle of 5ths, keys, melody, etc.) once they know the basics. Oh, and parents enjoy listening to them - always a bonus.


5. CLOCKS

Coldplay

You only need to teach the rst 4 bars of this song to to have a winning experience experience with your student. It's cool, it's groovy and everyone loves it. Let's face it, it's a ri that all pianists should know! For beginners, I tend to teach this by rote: ie. Demonstrate and show the position and then your students copy. Watch how quickly your students' faces will light up when they realise what they are playing and how cool it sounds. Here's the chord progression for the rst 4 bars:

INTRO

E♭

B♭m

Fm

B♭ m

It's the rhythm of the arpeggiated RH part that makes this “cool”. This is a rhythmic pattern that students can easily use in their own composing. They could explore this in other keys and when doing 4 Chord Composing (see timtopham.com/chords timtopham.com/chords for for more).

E♭

>

B♭m

>

>

>

B♭m

>

>

>

Fm

>

>


>

>

>

6. PIANO MAN

Billy Joel

This is another timeless classic that around 80% of kids still know today (and even if they don't, you can play a YouTube and show them how cool it is!). While it's not that easy to read the music, this is easily taught with basic chords: Try a C chord in the RH with a descending bassline in the LH to get started. With a few more instructions, instructions, you can help them understand the slash chords (G/B) (G/B) and show them how to change the RH chord each bar while the LH descends. It's not a perfect rendition of the original, but it's enough to get your students red-up. Here are two simplied versions of the main chord progression - both will sound great and allow the student to play along with the recording. The rst one is the most basic way to play it using root position chords:

VERSE / CHO RUS:

C /B

C

C

C /B

F

F /E

D

G

C

C /B

Am

Am /G

F

G

C

Am

Am /G

Am /G

Am

It's nine o' - clock on a Saturday F /E

F

D

G

The regular crowd shuffles in C /B

C

There's an old man F

Making

Am /G

Am

sitting next to me G

C

love to his tonic and gin

The second is a little more complex: G /B

C

VERSE / CHO RUS:

F /A

C /G

It's nine o' - clock on a Saturday

C

G /B

F /A

C /G

F

C /E

D7

G

C

G /B

F /A

C /G

F

G7sus4

C

C /E

F

D7

G

The regular crowd shuffles in C

There's an old man F

G /B

F /A

sitting next to me G7sus4

C

Making love to his tonic and gin

BRIDGE:

Am

C /G

D /F♯

F

Am

C /G

D7 /F♯

D

G

G /F

C /E

G7 /D


C /G

7. SIMPSON’S THEME, JAMES BOND THEME,

PINK PANTHER SIMPSON'S Everyone knows it, everyone loves it and every pianist should be able to pull it o (a bit like happy birthday really...but that's another story!). Great teaching points regarding Danny Elfman's use of the Lydian Mode - more on modes with another great download at timtopham.com/modes. Don't worry about teaching the rhythm, rather show the student the notes and let them play it in time or better still, get them to work it all out by ear.

While not no t strictly strict ly pop songs so ngs in the th e sense of the other songs in this reference, these are three favourite “ris” that students can easily learn and use when showing-o to their friends! You only need to teach the start to have maximum impact here. If you’d like notation, please search online. The free rst page previews at musicnotes.com,, for example, will give you all musicnotes.com the information you need to teach these ris.

JAMES JAME S BOND B OND There's something about chromatic bass lines that kids love. This is a great teaching piece because it's in A minor, which is a key that students generally learn early on and involves playing a triad in the RH while the LH starts on a 5th, then 6th then #6 intervals. It can be taught by demo/ copy or music depending on your student.

Am

Am6

Am♯6

PINK PANTHER This is a great one to learn rst by rote (the chromatic sliding 5ths) and then by ear (adding the melody), if the student is so inclined. Even just learning the sliding 5ths is fun! It’s a piece that just about all students will learn at some stage in their studies, so why not get in early by learning just the start?


A m6

8. HOTEL CALIFORNIA

The Eagles

This is another tune that many students will know. Even if they’re not familiar with the original, they’ll love the progression. This is a great song to play along with on iReal Pro (my favourite pop/jazz backing track app). If you’d like to see how I use iReal Pro in my pop teaching, consider joining my Inner Circle membership where you’ll nd a number of videos of me using and teaching with this app. Head to: timtopham.com/community. Here’s the chord chart in the original key so students can play along with the original recording:

Bm

VERSE:

F♯

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair

Bm

F♯

A

E

Warm smell of colitas rising up up through the air

G

D

G

Em

F♯7

A

E D

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light Em

F♯7

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim; I had to stop for the night.

Bm

F♯

A

E

G

D

Em

F♯7

Bm

F♯

There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell A

E

And I was thinking to to myself, “This could be Heaven or or this could be Hell” G

D

Then she lit up a candle, and she showed me the way

CHORUS:

G

D

F♯7

Bm

G

D

Em

F♯7

Em

F♯ 7

There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say... [CHORUS] G

D

Welcome to the Hotel California... F♯7

Bm

Such a lovely place, place, such a lovely face... G

D

There's plenty of room at the Hotel California... Em

F♯ 7

Any time of year, (any time of year). You can nd us here...


9. HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN

The Animals

This is another classic pop song that many students will know. It has a triple feel which is unusual in pop music and great for students to explore. I’ve seen this notated in both 6/8 and 4/4 (triplets); either way, the “3” feel will quickly become b ecome apparent when students play along to the r ecording. Start by just playing chords on the beat before adding some “guitar-like” “ guitar-like” arpeggios. More advanced students may like to play the right hand chords as arpeggios according to this rhythm which is pretty close to to the original:

Dm

F

G

B♭

Here are the chords for the 1st verse:

INTRO

VERSE 1

INSTR.

Dm

F

G

B♭

Dm

A7

Dm

A7

Dm

F

G

B♭

Dm

F

A

A7

Dm

F

G

B♭

Dm

A7

Dm

A7

Dm

F

G

B♭

Dm

A7

Dm

A7

[INTRO] Dm

F

G

B♭

Dm

A7

Dm

A7

[VERSE 1] Dm F

G

B♭

There is a house in New Orleans Dm

F

A

A7

They call the Rising Sun Dm

F

G

B♭

An d it 's be en th e ru in of ma ny a po or bo y

Dm

A7

Dm

An d Go d I kn ow I' m on e [INSTRUMENTAL] Dm

F

G

B♭

Dm

A7

Dm

A7


A7

10. YOU RAISE ME UP Gsus /C

C

Made famous by Josh Groban (original key:E♭)

C

C

Wh en I am do wn , an d, oh , my so ul , so we ar y C /E

F

Gsus4 G

Wh en tr ou bl es co me , an d my he ar t bu rd en ed be F

C /E

F

F

Then I am still and wa it here in the silence C /G

G7

C

C

Until you come and sit awhile with me Am

C /E

F2

G

Yo u ra is e me up , so I ca n st an d on mo un ta in s Am

C /E

F2

G

Yo u ra is e me up to wa lk on st or my se as F /A

C

C /G

F

I am strong when I am on your shoulders C /G

G

C

Csus4

Yo u ra is e me up to mo re th an I ca n be

Originally released in 2001, “You Raise Me Up” was composed by IrishNorwegian duo Secret Garden but became wildly popular in 2003 when performed by singer Josh Groban. It has strong appeal for students of all ages due to its uplifting chord progressions, appealing melody and general popularity. This is a great song to explore with students as it introduces slash chords with 1st inversion movement (eg. C, C/E moving to F which is very common in pop music) and suspensions, but even without these changed chords, it will still be fun to play, so feel free to start with the basics.

Here’s the full chord chart in C (original key is Eb major):

C

Gsus /C

C

C

C /E

F

Gsus4

G

F

F

C /E

F

C /G

G7

C

C

Am

F2

C /E

G

Am

F2

C /E

G

C

F /A

C /G

F

C /G

G

C

Csus4


Top10+Pop+Songs+(2nd+Edition)

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