[Piano Sheet Music] Playable with the Left Hand Only! Carefully Selected Pieces from Beginner to Ultra-Advanced
When playing the piano with both hands, many people struggle with things like “my left hand just won’t move the way I want” or “I’m not good at reading notes in the bass clef to begin with.” If that’s the case, why not try intensive practice with pieces that use only the left hand? In this article, we’ve picked out pieces playable with just the left hand across a range of difficulty levels, from beginner to very advanced.
We’ll introduce them along with sheet music you can download or purchase online.
If your goal is to “read the bass clef smoothly” or “move your left hand more freely,” why not overcome your weak left hand by choosing pieces that fit your objectives?
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[Piano Sheet Music] Playable with the Left Hand Only! Carefully Selected Pieces from Beginner to Ultra-Advanced (1–10)
53 Studies after Chopin’s Etudes Op. 10–12 “Revolutionary”Leopold Godowsky
As introduced in the section on “Tristesse” in this article, Leopold Godowsky—the Polish pianist and composer—created Studies on Chopin’s Etudes that include famous Chopin pieces arranged for the left hand alone.
The work discussed here is Etude Op.
10, No.
12, the so-called “Revolutionary Etude.” In the original, both the right and left hands race across the keyboard with overwhelming intensity, making it a piece that, naturally, only advanced players can master.
Imagining how difficult it is to perform such a challenging work with just the left hand is not hard.
Be sure to check out videos of left-hand-only performances of the “Revolutionary Etude” by pianists with truly extraordinary technique and expressive power.
Chaconne for the Left HandBach=Brahms
This piece, “Chaconne for the Left Hand,” expresses a restrained beauty made possible precisely by the constraint of using only the left hand, and its origin has a very intriguing backstory.
It is an arrangement by Johannes Brahms of Johann Sebastian Bach’s renowned Chaconne from the Partita for solo violin, recast as a piano work.
Brahms composed this “Left-Hand Chaconne” as a dedication to Clara Schumann—Robert Schumann’s wife and a celebrated pianist—during a period when an injury prevented her from using her right hand.
Since the original is performed in the minimal format of a single violin, an arrangement restricted to the left hand alone conveys a sense of respect for the source material.
Because the melody is built around the middle register without wide leaps across the keyboard, it seems relatively approachable to play at a basic level.
If you want to develop the expressiveness of your left hand, do give it a try.
Greeting of LoveEdward Elgar (Takano Yūya henkyōku)
Speaking of Salut d’Amour, it’s a piece by the English composer Edward Elgar, a beloved classic in Japan as well, thanks in part to its frequent use in commercials.
Many pianists also enjoy performing this piece.
Did you know that Yuya Takano—active as both a composer and arranger—has created an arrangement that can be played with the left hand only? He arranged it for those who, for various reasons, have to play the piano using only their left hand.
For example, it’s ideal for players who can’t use their right hand due to injury but still want to practice, or for those who want to further develop their left-hand expressiveness.
[Piano Sheet Music] Playable with the Left Hand Only! Carefully Selected Pieces from Beginner to Ultra-Advanced (11–20)
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little StarWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is a melody with a certain nostalgia that naturally soothes the heart—no wonder it’s beloved by many in Japan.
It wouldn’t be surprising if some people mistake it for a Japanese children’s song, but in fact, the original tune was an 18th-century French chanson, and it became globally popular as a nursery rhyme through English lyrics set to the melody.
Because the tune is simple, it’s often the first piece played by young beginners learning piano, and sheet music arranged to be played with the left hand only is also available.
For adults returning to the piano, especially those who struggle with the left hand, starting with this piece could be a great idea!
Piano Sonata for the Left Hand in C minor, Op. 179Carl Reinecke
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Many eminent composers in the world of classical music have left piano pieces for the left hand alone, and the work discussed here—Piano Sonata for the Left Hand in C minor, Op.
179—is by Carl Reinecke, a composer renowned as a German Romantic and equally celebrated as a music educator.
The style reflects influences from figures such as Mendelssohn, under whom Reinecke studied, and simply looking at the score may make you marvel that it is to be played with the left hand alone.
If you’re not confident about mastering all four movements, even extracting and repeatedly practicing only the sections you find particularly striking or appealing can be expected to significantly improve your left-hand technique.
Left-Hand Sonata “Journey Across the High Moors,” for Izumi TatenoKondō Kōhei
Although he collapsed from illness and was left with a disability on the right side of his body, Izumi Tateno made a miraculous comeback as a “left-hand pianist” and is revered as a legend of Japan’s classical music world.
As indicated by the subtitle “for Izumi Tateno,” the Sonata for the Left Hand ‘Journey across the High Moor’ introduced here is a piano sonata for the left hand composed by Kohei Kondo at Tateno’s request.
Calling himself a “composer of the mountains,” Kondo writes in a style whose melodies evoke a distinctly Japanese nostalgia rooted in the grandeur of nature; this ‘Journey across the High Moor’ likewise moves the listener with its narrative quality and its masterful use of diverse techniques.
It does require considerable skill to perform the entire piece with the left hand alone, but you might start by extracting and practicing only the phrases you particularly like.
53 Studies after Chopin’s Études, Op. 10 No. 3 “Tristesse” (Farewell Song)Leopold Godowsky
The collection Studies on Chopin’s Études has a somewhat complicated background.
While Frédéric Chopin wrote only 27 études—i.e., studies—this collection contains as many as 53 pieces because the Polish pianist-composer Leopold Godowsky added arrangements and reworkings.
With a primary focus on developing left-hand technique, it even includes, as introduced here, an arrangement of the Étude Op.
10 No.
3—known in Japan by the nickname Farewell Song—to be played with the left hand alone.
The difficulty level is at the very highest tier and is beyond the reach of ordinary players, but first, try experiencing the left-hand-only version of the “Farewell Song” through a video!