Piano rock songs are among some of the best, iconic songs out there, and simultaneously some of the best piano music of recent years.
Classical music isn’t the only learning material for piano, and many rock songs feature piano solos, and many good piano rock songs have piano as a lead instrument.
Many piano rock songs often have a driving, complex sense of harmony and rhythm and emotive feel that other instruments just can’t imitate, so, let’s look at a list of popular songs that use piano as a main instrument.
Are rock songs suitable for piano?
Of course not all rock songs are really suitable piano rock songs, and rock music is a very broad genre. While pianos have the range to play most songs, some work better than others.
The best piano rock songs of all time may have been written by bands or artists that are traditionally associated with the genre, such as Elton John, Jerry Lee Lewis or Billy Joel. Many of the best piano songs in rock use some pretty mainstream piano chords, and are catchy in the same way that pop songs might be.
Examples of piano in rock music
Examples of bands you would refer to as “rock bands” that use piano as a main instrument include bands like The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and many others. These musicians use the piano to take their rock songs in completely different directions, and ensure they always have an interesting and fresh sound.
Some musicians like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Freddie Mercury used the piano regularly when writing and performing rock music. There are lots of examples of famous rock piano songs out there..
Rock piano songs for beginners
A rock piano song is different from the best pop songs because rock songs will often use a harder piano sound, a driving rhythm section, and leave space for a piano solo.
Piano rock is a totally different genre of music to pop, and the songs don’t tend to be overly complex, so they are among the best songs on piano to practice, and they make great piano training exercises.
Also, if you are used to playing classical music, great piano rock songs will challenge you in a totally different way than a typical classical piece will.
Great rock piano songs vary from the simple to fairly complex, especially if you are going to try and learn a Queen song. Below, we’re diving into beginner options instead to keep things simple.
Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water
One of the most famous beginner piano rock songs is Smoke On The Water.
The main riff can be played by the left hand of a pianist. This makes the left hand introducing an incredible and irresistible motif of a catchy riff, different from most of those you would find in classical music.
Tips on playing the song
- Focus on just moving the left hand playing the riff first
- Notice how “perfect fifths” are included, playing the same thing seven semitones apart
- Pay attention to syncopation, or rhythm that is slightly off the beat
- The song is in simple 4/4 timing
The Mama’s and The Papa’s – California Dreaming
A lot of us remember this song for all of those awesome vocal harmonies, but there are also some incredible performances of it using piano as a main instrument.
This is one of the best rock piano songs that features some unusual chords, making it a good option for those looking to advance their playing. This is a favorite song of many piano teachers, because of how interesting it plays with melody and seventh chords.
On a list of easy rock songs for piano, this may take longer to learn than some of the others, but it is achievable even if you aren’t a pro just yet.
Tips on playing the song
- Make sure you pay attention to the unusual seventh chords
- Pay attention to how the vocal melody has been included for right hand on our piano version, so that this great rock piano song can be performed by one person
- You can perform this in different ways, such as playing the chords on the left hand and singing the melody, or playing the vocal melody on the piano keys
- The song is in C major, and simple 4/4 timing
Don McClean – American Pie
This song is a perfect example of taking classic rock songs and creating a piano version. Some great piano rock songs are not written originally with piano in mind.
This song will test your endurance and focus, as well as keeping you on your toes with counting beats and bars. The length of the melody and the intricacy of the different verses, and then unusual structure of the song set it apart from other examples of songs at the time. Some of the best piano rock music.
Tips on playing the song
- Note that the main melody and bass line only use white notes
- The song is in 4/4 and C major
- The verse is much more complex than the chorus melody
- Fortunately, the song is quite repetitive, so once you’ve learned a couple of chord progressions and melodies, you can play the whole tune
Famous piano rock songs
We’re counting some of the songs on our list as the most famous piano rock songs, rather than being easy songs to learn. If you do a little digging, you will find songs by many famous bands and artists who brought out the piano on some of their iconic songs. Think of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, Changes by David Bowie, or Karma Police by Radiohead.
The piano doesn’t have to be the original instrumentation on a piano song, either, you can always transfer songs to piano and create something original. You can explore how to play rock songs on the piano using one of the best piano apps, like Skoove.
Pink Floyd – The Wall
What list of best rock songs to play on piano could be complete without the inclusion of at least one song by Pink Floyd? Dark Side Of The Moon is one of the most famous and successful songs ever, but perhaps the most famous song among piano rock music fans is The Wall. Earlier Pink Floyd featured the piano in songs such as The Great Gig in the Sky, but The Wall features the piano more frequently.
This song is one of the best piano songs rock bands love to play, so it is known by the masses.
Tips on playing the song
- The song is played in simple 4/4
- While our piano lesson has included bass and vocal melody, you can also learn the chords which are pretty simple
- The syncopation of the left hand can be excellent practice
- While Pink Floyd songs are notoriously difficult, this is one of their simpler rock songs to play on piano
Prince – Purple Rain
Purple Rain is a song from the era of some of the greatest rock piano songs to play. Once the chorus starts everyone around you will be singing or playing along with you. Prince was famous as being a multi-instrumentalist, but this song is wonderful on piano alone.
Tips on playing this song
- The notes of the vocal melody are relatively fast, get used to playing them slowly then speed it up
- The song is in 4/4 timing
- Written in Bb major
- If you want to sing along, you can replace the vocal melody on your right hand with chords
Queen – We Will Rock You
Queen and Freddie Mercury wrote some of the best rock songs with piano in, so of course they will be featured heavily on any list of the greatest piano rock songs. We Will Rock You is of course the song that helped to create the genre of Stadium Rock, but it can be just as easily performed to an audience of 10,000 hockey or sports fans as it can be performed in your living room by you on your own.
Tips on playing the song
- The song is in 4/4
- Practice this with a metronome, the timing is very important
- The melody of this song includes a lot of fast singing. If playing the melody on your right hand, get used to playing it slowly and then speed it up
Queen – Another One Bites The Dust
When you listen to the recorded version of this song, unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, this top piano rock song keeps the piano a little quieter in the recording. The piano adds some drama to the track.
Tips on playing the song
- Watch out for how quick the melody moves when he is saying “an-other one”, this rhythm can be tricky for even advanced pianists
- The song is in 4/4 timing
- Written in E minor
- Rhythm is key on the left hand, but there aren’t a lot of notes used
Bands and artists who wrote piano rock songs
Though of course the most famous piano rock songs will be written by musicians who were pianists. Some musicians you might not class as “rock” such as Neil Young or Billy Joel, Elton John or Jerry Lee Lewis actually gave us some of the best rock songs on piano.
Artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, and The Rolling Stones are all bands who gave us some of the best classic rock piano songs.
Modern rock bands that you might not traditionally associate with the piano such as Coldplay, Radiohead, and Foo Fighters also have songs that use piano heavily.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a rock fan looking to include piano in your new set, and play some cover versions, or you’re a classical piano fan looking to engage with a totally new style of music, rock songs can be ideal.
Playing the top piano rock songs is very different from playing classical music, and gives you a different feeling of time and rhythm, which can be much more rigid and structured in rock music.
With Skoove’s app you can learn rock songs by incorporating the metronome to practice timing, and also split your hands into separate sections to practice.
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