[For Kids] Play Piano with One Finger! Recommended Songs Collection
Playing the piano is demanding and difficult—you’re asked to use both hands and your feet on the pedals, which gets pretty complex.
But that’s only because such instructions are written in the sheet music.
It’s perfectly fine to play the piano with one hand, or even with a single finger! One of the piano’s advantages is that even just playing the melody with one finger lets you enjoy a bit of the piece’s charm.
In this article, we introduce recommended songs that “can be played with one finger,” aimed at young children so they can start by simply having fun with the piano.
Of course, adults who want to give the piano a try are welcome to use this as a guide as well.
And if you have some piano experience, it can be great fun for parent and child to play a duet—have your child play the melody while you provide the accompaniment!
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[For Kids] Play the Piano with One Finger! Recommended Songs (21–30)
Jingle BellsJames Pierpont
If your child wants to show friends and family their piano playing at Christmas, the classic Christmas song Jingle Bells is highly recommended.
The main theme can be played using just the five notes from C to G, so even with one finger there’s little movement and it’s easy to play smoothly.
Since it’s a well-known Christmas song, the rhythm should also be easy to grasp.
Have them hum along as they play, or sing next to them, and let them match the melody to that.
The Do-Re-Mi SongRichard Rodgers
Challenge yourself to play “Do-Re-Mi” with one finger while having fun learning the notes as you sing! If you can sing it before playing on the piano, it will help connect the note names with their positions on the keyboard, making your practice more effective.
Start by practicing just the first Do and Re while singing—like “Do is for donut, Do” and “Re is for lemon, Re”—and then gradually fill in the smaller notes in between.
This way, you can progress smoothly without forcing it.
Let’s take it slow so it doesn’t turn into “Piano is so hard!” and build confidence step by step.
[For Kids] Play the Piano with One Finger! Recommended Songs (31–40)
MinuetChristian Petzold
Let me introduce a piece by Christian Petzold, one of the representative composers of the Baroque era in Germany.
Petzold’s best-known work is an elegant dance in triple meter that was long misattributed to Bach but is in fact by Petzold.
It features a simple, beautiful melody and is a great choice for beginners at the piano.
The trick is to start at a slow tempo and gradually speed up.
Since it’s in 3/4 time, it helps to practice while counting “1, 2, 3” to keep the rhythm.
This piece is perfect not only for those interested in Baroque music but also as an introduction to classical music, so why not add it to your repertoire?
Pachelbel’s CanonJohann Pachelbel
Even if you don’t usually listen to classical music, you’ve surely heard it on TV, in commercials, or in films! Pachelbel’s Canon, a representative work of the Baroque era, is one of those pieces many people dream of playing on the piano.
There are many scores published for different levels—beginner, easy, intermediate—so it’s a good idea to start practicing with a simple version that can be played with one finger.
However, because the melody is simple, playing with just one finger makes it hard to capture the character of the piece.
With accompaniment support, you’ll enjoy practicing much more!
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little StarJean-Philippe Rameau
For almost everyone who has just started learning the piano, it’s no exaggeration to say that “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is the go-to beginner piece.
Its range is narrow—from C up to the A a seventh above—and it mostly moves stepwise to neighboring notes, so you can play it in time even with just one finger.
Once you’ve mastered playing the melody with a single finger, it’s a great idea to practice a one-finger accompaniment in the left hand too, so you can play with both hands.
You might also build on this by thinking, “I’ve played it with one finger—now let’s try using the other fingers!”
Frog ChorusDoitsu no dōyō
When someone asks, “What’s an easy song to play on the piano?”, many people probably think of “Frog Song” first.
Its very simple melody, moving stepwise up and down repeatedly, can be played easily with one finger even by someone who’s never played the piano.
If you’re playing alone, you might get bored with the repeating melody.
In that case, sit at the piano with friends or family and start the same melody at different pitches with a slight delay—then you can enjoy it like a round!
World of StarsCharles Crozat Converse
How about playing a gentle, heartwarming piece on the piano? Let me introduce a hymn composed in 1868 by Charles Crozat Converse.
Although he was a lawyer, he was also deeply devoted to studying music.
The piece celebrates the bond with a friend of the heart, and its charm lies in its simple melody.
You can even play it with one finger, making it perfect for piano beginners.
Let the gentle tone soothe you as you perform it with thoughts of someone special.
It’s also fun to play as a duet with family or friends.
Through the piano, this lovely piece lets you feel the bonds that connect people.