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[Piano Beginners] J-POP That Looks Hard but Is Surprisingly Playable [2026]

Graduated from a music school / 21 years of piano experiencesatomi
I began playing the piano at the age of four and spent six years at a conservatory, focusing mainly on classical music while honing my skills. In addition to solo performance, I studied extensively in chamber music and two-piano repertoire, and I had the opportunity to perform twice on stage as a soloist in piano concertos. While not to the same extent as classical, I also learned jazz and pop through practical performance. I was active as a pianist in various settings, including instrumental and vocal/choral accompaniment, performance assistance for other departments, and recording sessions. Beyond the piano, I devoted five years to the trombone in a wind ensemble. I hope to draw on these experiences to share the charm of music with many people.

Classical piano classics are great, but I also want to try playing my favorite J-pop hits on the piano… If you’ve ever felt that way as a beginner, you’re probably not alone.

That said, many J-pop songs aren’t structured with the piano in mind, so it can be tricky to recreate them using only the piano.

In this article, we’ve put together a selection of J-pop songs—from nostalgic classics to recent hits—that might seem a bit daunting at first but have plenty of beginner-friendly piano arrangements.

Even just tracing the melody with your right hand will make you think, “It’s that song!” right away, and adding some left-hand accompaniment little by little makes it even more fun.

We hope this article inspires you to express your favorite J-pop on the piano!

[Piano Beginners] J-POP That Looks Hard but Is Surprisingly Playable [2026] (61–70)

Marunouchi SadisticShiina Ringo

Marunouchi Sadistic / Ringo Sheena Piano Cover – piano cover by Presso, sheet music available now

Marunouchi SadisticShiina Ringo

Shiina Ringo’s “Marunouchi Sadistic” has a chic, jazz-tinged vibe.

An acoustic version was included as the B-side to the 1998 single “Kabukicho no Joou,” and a full-band version was later featured on the 1999 album “Muzai Moratorium.” This song is challenging not just because of the notes, but because it’s hard to capture its atmosphere.

It’s best to play the set parts—like the vocal melody—faithfully, but for the other sections, adding your own ad-lib is recommended.

If you’re not comfortable with improvisation, you can still bring out a jazzy feel by adding a few grace notes, doubling adjacent tones, or inserting brief rests in key spots.

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RYDEENYellow Magic Orchestra

RYDEEN / YMO: Piano (Solo) / Beginner

RYDEENYellow Magic Orchestra

RYDEEN, a signature track by YMO, formed by the star-studded trio of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, and Yukihiro Takahashi.

Since its 1980 release, it has been used in commercials and TV program background music, and has been loved by people across generations.

When expressing the coolness of techno sound on the piano, the key point is to play the rhythm with absolute clarity.

For beginners, choose sheet music with a melody line made up of simple notes, and play each note cleanly and distinctly so you can fully capture the sharpness of the original.

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In conclusion

As mentioned at the beginning, many beginner-friendly piano scores and performance videos are available for the J-POP classics introduced this time. Among them, we’ve gathered a selection that focuses on songs that may seem difficult at first glance, ranging from nostalgic classics to recent hits. Because J-POP typically features clear melodic structures, you can capture the character of a song surprisingly well by playing simple chords—or even just a single bass note—with your left hand, and the main melody with your right hand. Piano practice is essential, but if you have songs you love or want to try playing, make sure to keep the fun of practicing in mind! Once your level improves, try taking on intermediate arrangements too!