Best Billy Joel Songs for Beginner Pianists
Learning piano becomes much more enjoyable when the music you practise is music you actually love. For many students, the best Billy Joel songs are an excellent starting point because his catalogue combines memorable melodies, accessible chord progressions, expressive piano parts, and different musical styles.
Billy Joel’s music can also grow with you. A beginner can start with simplified chords and basic accompaniment, while a more experienced pianist can eventually explore inversions, fills, rhythmic variations, voicings, dynamics, and improvisation within the same songs.
The key is choosing the right song for your current level.
Some Billy Joel pieces are better suited to students who are just becoming comfortable with chords and coordination. Others introduce more challenging rhythms, independent hand movement, or sophisticated harmonic ideas. Instead of trying to learn the most technically impressive piece first, beginners can use his repertoire as a gradual musical journey.
Here are some of the most useful songs to explore when you’re starting out.
Why Billy Joel Is Useful for Beginner Pianists
Billy Joel’s songs are particularly interesting for piano students because the piano often plays an important role in the identity of the music.
You can learn about:
- Basic chord progressions
- Melody and accompaniment
- Left-hand patterns
- Right-hand chord shapes
- Rhythm and syncopation
- Dynamic contrast
- Musical phrasing
- Pedal technique
- Song structure
- Accompanying a singer
- Playing with expression
You also don’t need to reproduce a recording exactly when you’re starting.
A simplified arrangement can teach the essential musical structure first. Once your hands become comfortable, you can gradually add more details.
That makes these songs useful both as repertoire and as practice material.
1. “Piano Man” — The Natural Starting Point
If you’re searching for the best Billy Joel songs to begin with, “Piano Man” is an obvious place to start.
The song is strongly associated with the piano and has a memorable accompaniment pattern that immediately gives students the feeling that they’re playing a complete song.
For beginners, the attraction isn’t only the familiarity of the piece. It is also the opportunity to practise coordination between the two hands while supporting a vocal melody.
What beginners can learn
“Piano Man” can introduce you to:
- Chord changes
- Repeated accompaniment patterns
- Bass movement
- Playing while singing
- Musical storytelling
- Consistent rhythm
You can initially simplify the accompaniment.
Play the bass notes with the left hand and basic chords with the right. Once that feels comfortable, introduce more of the characteristic movement.
This is a useful principle for learning almost any popular song:
Learn the musical skeleton before decorating it.
2. “Just the Way You Are” — A Lesson in Simplicity
“Just the Way You Are” can be an excellent choice for a beginner who wants to work on expressive playing without immediately tackling a complicated arrangement.
The song’s slower pace gives you more time to think about each chord and phrase.
That makes it particularly useful for students who are still developing coordination.
What makes it beginner-friendly?
A slower song gives you opportunities to practise:
- Smooth chord transitions
- Sustained notes
- Pedal changes
- Melody phrasing
- Dynamic control
- Playing at a steady tempo
It also teaches something that beginners sometimes overlook:
Playing slowly does not mean playing without expression.
In fact, slower music can expose uneven chord changes, poor pedal technique, weak phrasing, and inconsistent dynamics very clearly.
Use that to your advantage.
3. “Vienna” — Developing Musical Expression
“Vienna” is a beautiful choice for a pianist who is ready to move beyond simply playing chords.
Rather than treating the song as a sequence of notes, use it to explore musical phrasing.
A beginner arrangement can be simplified considerably while retaining the character of the song.
Listen before you play
Before practising, listen carefully to the song.
Don’t immediately sit at the keyboard.
Instead, notice:
- Where phrases begin
- Where they end
- Where the music becomes stronger
- Where it relaxes
- How long certain notes are held
- How the accompaniment supports the melody
Then try to reproduce those ideas on piano.
This develops an important habit: hearing the music internally before playing it physically.
4. “She's Always a Woman” — Smooth Chord Playing
For beginners who are becoming comfortable with basic chords, “She’s Always a Woman” can be a useful next step.
The song encourages you to think about how chords connect rather than treating every chord as an isolated shape.
This is where inversions become especially helpful.
Try using chord inversions
Suppose you have three chords that require your hand to jump around the keyboard.
Instead of always playing each chord in root position, experiment with inversions.
The objective is simple:
Move your hand as little as possible.
This creates smoother transitions and can make your playing sound considerably more polished.
You don’t necessarily need advanced theory to begin experimenting with this.
Start by asking:
Which version of the next chord is closest to the chord I’m already playing?
That one question can dramatically improve your chord playing.
5. “New York State of Mind” — Learning to Create Atmosphere
“New York State of Mind” is a great choice for students who want to understand how a piano arrangement can create a particular mood.
It isn’t simply about playing the correct chords.
The sound needs space.
The accompaniment needs to support the melody.
And the pianist needs to understand when to play and when to leave room.
A useful beginner exercise
Take a simplified version of the song and play it three ways:
Version one: Everything at the same volume.
Version two: Add obvious loud and soft changes.
Version three: Use smaller, more natural dynamic changes.
Record yourself.
When you listen back, compare the three versions.
This exercise helps you discover that expression doesn’t always require dramatic changes.
Sometimes subtlety is more effective.
6. “Honesty” — Building Confidence With Chords
“Honesty” can work well for beginners who are developing confidence with chord-based accompaniment.
The song gives you a chance to practise supporting a melody without needing an extremely busy piano arrangement.
This is valuable because beginner pianists often make the same mistake: they think a good accompaniment needs to contain lots of notes.
It doesn’t.
A simple accompaniment can sound professional when:
- The chords are clean
- The rhythm is steady
- The transitions are smooth
- The melody is clear
- The dynamics are controlled
Start with three layers
Try thinking about the arrangement as three separate elements:
Layer 1: Bass
Layer 2: Chords
Layer 3: Melody
Practise them separately.
Then combine the bass and chords.
Finally, add the melody.
This method makes coordination much less overwhelming.
7. “She’s Got a Way” — Perfect for Gentle Playing
“She’s Got a Way” is another song worth considering when you’re looking for the best Billy Joel songs for an expressive beginner arrangement.
Its gentler character provides an opportunity to work on touch.
And touch is one of the most difficult aspects of piano playing to explain purely through written instructions.
Two pianists can play the same notes and produce completely different results.
One may sound harsh.
Another may sound warm and intimate.
The difference can come from how deeply the keys are played, how the fingers release the notes, how the pedal is used, and how phrases are shaped.
Practice without the pedal
Try playing a section without sustain pedal.
Listen carefully to your articulation.
Then add the pedal back in.
This helps you understand that the pedal should enhance your playing rather than hide weaknesses in your finger technique.
8. “And So It Goes” — Learning to Let the Melody Breathe
“And So It Goes” is especially useful for beginners who are ready to think about phrasing.
A common beginner habit is to play every note with equal importance.
But melodies don’t work that way.
Some notes lead somewhere.
Some notes provide resolution.
Others are transitional.
Try singing the melody
Even if you’re not a confident singer, quietly sing or hum the melody before playing it.
Then imagine that your piano is singing it.
Ask:
- Where would I breathe?
- Which note would I emphasize?
- Where would I relax?
- Where does the phrase want to go?
This exercise can improve your piano phrasing remarkably quickly.
9. “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” — A Step Toward Rhythmic Playing
Once you’re comfortable with slower songs, you may want something with more rhythmic energy.
“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” gives you that opportunity.
It can introduce beginners to a different side of piano playing: using the instrument to contribute rhythmic drive.
Don’t start at full speed
This is important.
When a song has a strong rhythmic feel, beginners often try to play it at the original tempo immediately.
Instead:
- Learn the chord sequence.
- Practise the rhythm slowly.
- Use a metronome.
- Increase the tempo gradually.
- Keep the rhythm relaxed.
- Only add additional fills once the basic groove is stable.
Speed should be the result of control, not a substitute for it.
10. “My Life” — Understanding Repeated Patterns
Songs with repeated accompaniment patterns can be very useful for beginners.
Once the pattern becomes comfortable, you can focus more attention on timing, dynamics, and transitions.
“My Life” is useful in this context because it encourages you to think about how a recurring piano or keyboard idea can help establish the identity of a song.
Repetition isn’t the enemy
Some students become bored when they see repeated chords or patterns.
But repetition is one of the foundations of popular music.
The important question is not:
“Am I playing the same thing again?”
It is:
“Can I make the repeated idea sound consistent while still responding to the musical phrase?”
That is a much more advanced skill than it initially appears.
11. “She’s Always a Woman” — An Introduction to Musical Storytelling
A piano student can also learn from the way Joel uses music to support lyrics and character.
This is one reason his repertoire can be valuable beyond technique.
When you’re playing a song with a strong lyrical identity, don’t treat the accompaniment as something separate from the words.
Think about what the lyrics are communicating.
Then consider how the piano should respond.
Should the accompaniment remain delicate?
Should it become more intense?
Should the melody stand out?
Should a chord be sustained?
Should a phrase relax?
These decisions are part of musicianship.
How to Choose the Right Billy Joel Song for Your Level
Not every song should be learned in the same way.
A beginner can often make a more challenging song accessible by using a simplified arrangement, while a relatively easy song can become challenging when played with sophisticated voicings and expressive details.
A useful progression might look like this:
If you’re completely new to piano
Start with:
- “Piano Man”
- “Just the Way You Are”
- “She’s Got a Way”
Focus on basic chords, rhythm, and coordination.
If you’ve been playing for several months
Explore:
- “Vienna”
- “Honesty”
- “And So It Goes”
- “New York State of Mind”
Work on phrasing, inversions, pedal, and dynamics.
If you’re becoming more confident
Try:
- “Movin’ Out”
- “My Life”
- “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”
Begin exploring more complex rhythmic and structural ideas.
The exact difficulty will depend on the arrangement you choose, your previous musical experience, and whether you’re playing a simplified version or attempting to reproduce the recording.
Don’t Try to Learn the Whole Song on Day One
This is one of the most important pieces of advice for beginners.
When you discover a song you love, it is tempting to search for the full sheet music, sit at the keyboard, and try to play from beginning to end.
That approach can become frustrating quickly.
Instead, choose a small section.
Perhaps it’s the introduction.
Perhaps it’s the first verse.
Perhaps it’s the chorus.
Learn that section until you can play it comfortably.
Then connect it to the next section.
Think in musical sentences
Instead of thinking:
“I have to learn this entire song.”
Think:
“Today I’m learning these eight bars.”
That makes the task much more manageable.
What Beginner Pianists Should Listen For
When studying the best Billy Joel songs, don’t listen only for the melody.
Listen to the piano as if you’re taking it apart.
Listen to the bass
What notes are being played?
Does the bass move stepwise?
Does it jump?
Does it repeat?
Listen to the chords
Are the chords simple?
Are there inversions?
Are there added notes?
Listen to rhythm
Is the piano playing on the beat?
Is it syncopated?
Does the rhythm change between sections?
Listen to dynamics
Where does the arrangement become bigger?
Where does it become quieter?
Listen to space
Where does the pianist deliberately not play?
This final question is particularly important.
Silence is part of music.
A Simple Practice Method for Billy Joel Songs
You can use the following routine with almost any song.
First, listen
Listen to the original recording several times.
Don’t play yet.
Then find the basic harmony
Identify the main chords and song sections.
Simplify the arrangement
Reduce the piano part to basic bass notes and chords.
Practise each hand separately
Make sure each hand is comfortable before combining them.
Combine slowly
Use a metronome and begin at a tempo where you can remain relaxed.
Add the melody
If you’re singing, start quietly. If you’re playing the melody with your right hand, make it stand out from the accompaniment.
Add expression
Only after the notes are secure should you spend serious time on dynamics, phrasing, pedal, and tone.
Record yourself
Listening back is one of the fastest ways to notice uneven timing, excessive pedal, weak dynamics, or unclear melody.
Final Thoughts
The best Billy Joel songs for beginner pianists aren’t necessarily the songs with the fewest notes. They are the songs that give you something useful to learn while remaining approachable enough to practise consistently.
“Piano Man” can introduce accompaniment and storytelling. “Just the Way You Are” can develop control and subtle expression. “Vienna” can encourage thoughtful phrasing. “She’s Always a Woman” can help you explore smoother chord movement. “New York State of Mind” can teach atmosphere, while songs such as “Movin’ Out” can introduce stronger rhythmic playing.
The most important thing is not to rush.
Choose one song that matches your current ability. Simplify it if necessary. Learn a small section. Understand the chords. Listen carefully. Then gradually add the details that make the music expressive.
And once you can play the song comfortably, don’t immediately move on.
Ask yourself how you can make it sound more musical.
That is where piano learning becomes more than simply pressing the correct keys.
With structured guidance, personalised feedback, and regular practice, popular songs can become powerful tools for developing technique, musical understanding, and confidence. If you want to build those skills with individual instruction, Piano Lessons Online with The Mystic Keys can help you develop your playing step by step—from the first chords to expressive performances.
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