Modern digital audio workstations like Ableton and Logic have dramatically simplified the process of crafting melodies and chords, often requiring minimal theoretical knowledge. You can point, click, and voilà – your computer emits a sound. Taking up piano might seem daunting, but you’ll be amazed at how much you can achieve with a basic understanding of the instrument. Maintaining enthusiasm for practice can prove challenging if you’re only revisiting classical pieces or show tunes often pushed by traditional piano tutors.
To keep your passion alive, why not draw inspiration from the genre(s) that genuinely captivate you? With that in mind, let’s delve into 11 outstanding tracks spanning a spectrum of electronic music sub-genres. These songs provide an excellent foundation to hone your piano skills, offering insights into the diverse vibes and nuances within the industry.
But before we dive in, consider checking out Pianonote, a streamlined platform designed to teach you piano fundamentals at your own pace, preparing you to master these electronic dance music tunes in mere days instead of weeks or months.
“Afterlife” by Illenium
This song showcases the piano’s ability to convey deep emotion.
Learning to play it will develop your technical skills and give you a feel for how to use the piano to express feelings and evoke moods, which is an essential part of musicianship.
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“Shelter” by Porter Robinson
This song is beautifully melodic and not overly complex, a winning combination for beginners.
You can focus on learning the primary melody before branching out to explore the accompanying harmonies, and the emotional depth of the piece can help you develop your sense of musical expression, an essential skill for any musician.
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“I Remember” by Deadmau5
This track is an excellent piece for beginners as a repeating chord progression characterizes it. This progression allows new players to practice chord transitions smoothly and steadily. It’s an especially useful song for understanding the significance of a steady rhythm in setting the foundation of a track. Its melancholy tone also introduces beginners to conveying emotion through their playing, enhancing their expressive skills.
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“Clarity” by Zedd
This song is particularly beginner-friendly due to its melodically rich and catchy chorus. The repetitive nature of the chord progression also allows for focused practice on rhythm and timing. Additionally, as beginners build their confidence with the main melody, the song also allows for exploration of the underlying chord structure. This will help expand understanding of harmonic structure and the role it plays in creating the overall musical texture.
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“Levels” by Avicii
This classic EDM song has a catchy and repetitive melody, making it an excellent choice for beginners. The repetitive nature of the melody will help you build confidence and muscle memory as you learn to play it. The fact that this is arguably one of the most recognizable songs in the history of EDM means that it can be a great trick to have up your sleeve at a party.
It is also a bit more complex than many of the other songs on this list, so while it could be easily considered a beginner-level song, it’s also a good track to help bridge the gap between beginner and intermediate.
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All You Need To Know” by Gryffin & Slander
The straightforward melody of this song is a good challenge for beginners. You can focus on learning the melody first, then add the accompanying chords to improve your skills in playing both together.
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“First Time” by Seven Lions
With a distinctive rhythmic piano part, this song offers a perfect opportunity to work on your timing and rhythm, vital aspects of piano playing. It also allows you to understand how the piano can contribute to the overall texture of a song, providing both harmonic support and rhythmic drive.
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“We’re All We Need” by Above & Beyond
The repetitive chord progression in this song is perfect for beginners working on changing chords smoothly. Studying this piece, you can also learn a lot about song structure, how melodies interact with chords, and the importance of harmony and its interaction with melody!
The slow tempo and vocal cadence as well mean that this is a great song to practice vocal accompaniment as well (with yourself or with another artist)
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“Faded” by Alan Walker
The catchy melody and straightforward chord progression make this a good choice for beginners. You can work on mastering the melody, then add the chords to develop your ability to play both together. For the same reasons as the above A&B track, the minimalistic and straightforward vocals also make this melody-driven track, allowing for opportunities to practice vocal accompaniment.
“Starlight” by Jai Wolf
This song has a rhythmic and catchy melody, which can be fun for beginners. You can focus on mastering the melody, then add in the accompanying chords to improve your skills in playing both together. If you want to practice pairing different cadences and rhythms between your leads and harmonies, this is a fantastic song to learn on keys to accomplish this goal.
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“Roses” by The Chainsmokers
The simple melody line and recurring chord progression of “Roses” make it suitable for beginner pianists. It’s an excellent piece for improving finger agility and coordination. The song’s structure also provides a basic introduction to pop and EDM song structures, which can help beginners understand common patterns in music.
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Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
