Songs every pianist should know by heart

A jazz pianist once told me that every player should have 25 memorized pieces in their repertoire at all times. It was good advice, but because I spent my career playing new music or ensemble repertoire—neither of which required memorization—I never found the time to follow it. Yet people still asked me to perform whenever there was a piano nearby and I disliked being unprepared to sit down and play a few tunes from memory.

Receiving impromptu requests to play the piano isn’t something that just happens to professional players. Every pianist—professional or amateur—knows that having a year or more of lessons labels us performers in the eyes of non-musicians and they assume we’re eager to share our music with others. We can always decline, of course, but sometimes it’s wonderful to be able to sit down and reel off an elderly relative’s favorite song, or lead singers in a round of Happy Birthday.

This is why I, in an effort to give others the spontaneous gift of music, keep a few frequently-requested pieces in my hands. I don’t have a repertoire of 25 memorized pieces, but I do have a handful that can be played in any setting and on any piano. Here’s my list, which reflects my experience as a middle-aged American pianist. I offer it to you with the suggestion that you tailor these suggestions to your own life and culture.

Happy Birthday

A lifetime of playing the piano, decades of lessons, and this is has been my most-requested tune. I learned it by ear, but there are copies of it everywhere. I suggest learning it in the key of F major as it’s one that works well for most singers.

A Billy Joel or Elton John song

When I was younger, the formula went something like this: I’d play a flashy classical piece and then someone would say, “That was cool. Can you play something by Billy Joel?” Now I know that no matter what I play, I’m likely to encore it with something from Billy Joel or Elton John.

Your family’s favorite song

I had a friend whose family sang “Go Down, Moses” at every gathering. My New York Italian relatives love “NY, NY.” My mother had several favorite hymns. Whatever your family’s favorite songs are, learn them and keep them in your fingers. They will inevitably be requested at family gatherings.

Several standards from the Great American Songbook

Find one or two that can be recognized by people of most ages (i.e., “Over the Rainbow”) and you’ll please everyone.

A couple of movie or Broadway themes

Choose one or two older themes as well as something done in the last 10 years. This provides broad audience appeal.

3-4 holiday pieces

Whatever your holiday music of choice may be, I recommend keeping a few favorites in your fingers. Thankfully, most of this music isn’t complicated. As with Happy Birthday, make sure you’ve learned them in singable keys.

One or two “show off” pieces

These pieces are the ones where you strut your stuff a bit. I recommend choosing them using this formula: 1) they should sound harder than they are; 2) they should have a tune and a beat; 3) they should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Playing these pieces may not give us the highest artistic satisfaction, but when we meet people where they are and offer them the gift of our music, we create happiness and memories that, over time, may be even more valuable than the joy of playing more complicated repertoire. I’ve had numerous rewarding public performances over my life, but few are as memorable as watching my 90 year old grandmother dance to “NY, NY,” or seeing joy on my mother’s face when I played her favorite hymns. Because, in the end, what matters isn’t that people know we’re amazing players, but that we’re capable of connecting to them, one or two simple tunes at a time.

Photo by Nazar Yakymenko, courtesy of UpSplash