FREE Music sheets (beginners on up) UPDATED Nov. 19, 2010

Collection of Free Music Sheets For Beginners on my webpage


(The list starts below my ramblings here)

Oh, how short the memory of piano players. Typically I will read/hear statements like, “Oh this is real easy to play” or “This is a good piece for beginners”, and when I go look it up or download it, I am staring at a sheet, that maybe I will be able to play in say 2 or 3 years, if I practice real hard in the meantime.

When I say beginner, I mean all-the-way-down-at-the-bottom-never-seen-a-piano-before-beginner. And when I say real easy, I mean I-am-lucky-if-I-can-hold-down-a-simple-chord-with-my-left-hand-while-playing-two-other-notes-with-my-right-hand-easy.

There are 2, maybe 3, websites that actually have (free) sheet music for real beginners. Problem for most of us (I don’t imagine I’m all that unique) is, that they mainly serve up things like “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Mary had a little lamb”, which, if you are over the age of 6, holds little interest. Or pieces that I have either never heard of (and it’s much harder to play music you don’t know), or really don’t care for that much.

Once we get over the first hurdles of “where is middle C”, and “how do I get my left thumb and right thumb to press a key at the same time”, we start looking for music to play. And I do mean music, not scales and exercises. And, since we are going to be practicing for quite some time on one little piece to learn to play it, it had better be something we can stand to listen to as well, preferably something we really like. I have found (and most music teachers seem to agree with me) that motivation is depending on us liking what we do. I will happily practice a tune I really like for hours on end, where as I’m quickly fed up with music I don’t care for.

Thus starts the great search for music we like and can play. Maybe it’s a tune of Bach you’d like to play, or maybe a Beatles song, or maybe the theme song from your favorite game. What ever it is, you are very lucky if you happen to find it somewhere, in a version that you have a chance at learning. It is frustrating, to say the least.

Now, it’s my experience that “instructions for dummies” are best written by the “dummies” themselves (trust me, I’ve done a few), because they still remember what is hard and what is not. So, being a “dummy” myself (novice piano player), I have started to compile all the hard-to-find sheets that I can lay my hot little hands on (or make when not available elsewhere), and make it available to anyone who wants them on my webpage.

I am trying to include as wide a variety as I can, but obviously, what enters my list will mostly be things that I happen to like myself. Still, I’m hoping this will be a very long list, so you should have a chance of finding something to your liking as well.

Anyone who has suggestions to what could be added to this list, please let me know.


Among others (the little number is rating for difficulty):

1 We Three Kings 1 Bridal March 1 Amazing Grace 1 Prince of Denmark’s March 1 Musette 1 Frere Jacque 2 Twinkle Twinkle little star 2 Mary had a little lamb 2 O Tannenbaum (Oh Christmas Tree) 2 Det kimer nu til Julefest (It’s ringing for Christmas) 2 Volga Boatman 2 Ode to Joy (An die Freude) 2 First Noel 2 Beginner's Waltz 2 Dejlig er den himmel blå (Lovely is the blue skye) 2 Edelweiss (from Sound of Music) 3 Can-Can (from Orpheus in the Underworld) 3 Scales and Arpeggios (from Disney's Aristocats) 3 Mountain Song 3 Glade Jul, Dejlige Jul (Silent Night, Holy Night) 3 Juletræet med sin pynt (The Decorated Christmas Tree) . 3 God rest ye merry, Gentlemen 3 Schlafe Mein Prinzchen (Sleep my Prince) 3 Blue Bumblebee 4 Where do I begin (Love Story Theme) 4 Meet Me in St. Louis (the musical) 4 Drømmebilleder (Dream pictures) 4 Arabian Nights (from Disney's Aladdin) 5 Jesu bleibet meine freude (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring) 5 Mazurka All sheets in pdf, all have sound samples. So if anyone would like any of those, well, there they are.

UPDATE Sept.13, 2010 (more tunes added)

0 Scales and Arpeggios, practice set 1 Happy Birthday 2 Blues in C 3 Ave Maria 3 Spinning Song 3 Wiegenlied (Brahms Lullaby) 3 Greensleeves 3 Santa Lucia 4 Für Elise (short version) 4 Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) . 4 Turkish March – short version 5 Ecossaise in G major 5 Minuet in G ( I also continuously add more links to free scores, as I find them)

UPDATE Sept.14 , 2010 [ now 57 available]

1 Jingle Bells 2 Au Clair de la Lune 2 Ancient French Melody 3 Jeg vil bygge en verden (I will build a world) 3 Canon in D - short version 5 Canon in D - longer version 5 An der schönen blauen Donau (The Blue Danube) - short version . ? Canon in D - full version

UPDATE Sept.16 , 2010 [ now 66 available]

2 Scotland The Brave (short version) 2 Michael Finnegan 3 When you wish upon a Star (Disney Christmas) . 3 The Entertainer (short version) 3 Marche Slave (short version) 4 Schneewalzer (Snow Waltz) 5 Albany (Roger Whittaker) 5 Obladi, Oblada (Beatles) ? The Entertainer (full score)

UPDATE Sept.18 , 2010 [ now 70 available]

2 Chopsticks (short’n easy) 2 Flea Waltz (Flohwalzer/Prinsesse Toben) FUN . 4 Alley Cat (Omkring et Flygel) ? Chopsticks, full version DUET

UPDATE Sept.19 , 2010 [ now 80 available]

2 Morning has broken 2 Deck the Halls 2 Yellow Rose of Texas 2 Brown girl in the ring (Boney M) 3 Pomp and Circumstance (Land of Hope and Glory) 3 Waltz from Sleeping Beauty (short easy) 3 Matador Theme (easy version) 3 El Condor Pasa 4 Cavalleria Rusticana (short version) 6 Matador Theme (full version)

MATADOR played by Alexander Flemming

UPDATE Sept.21 , 2010 [ now 87 available]

1 Swan Lake, Lake Scene 2 Egyptian Dance (from Samson and Delilah) . 3 Duerne Flyver (The Doves are Flying) 4 Twelve Days of Christmas 5 Nutcracker, Chinese Dance ? River Flows In You ? Maple Leaf Rag

I continuously update the page with links/midis/original sound files that I might have missed initially, or I happen to find, so if you’re missing something, check back in to see if it appeared.

I’m also adding a few translations (Danish/German/Spanish/Portuguese), with kind help from Kelly (as I don’t speak a word of Portuguese). Thank you for that

UPDATE Sept.22 , 2010

Those of you that use IE (internet explorer) for browsing may experience strange formatting on some of the pages, cause being that IE is somewhat stupid and need all kinds of fiddling to get a page to look like it's supposed to, and like it looks in any "better"(I have to contain myself here) browser. I myself use Firefox, in which things work beautifully, and sometimes I forget to check all the details on that (cencured) IE browser.
Sorry about that, I will get this fixed as soon as possible (sigh).


UPDATE Sept.25 , 2010 [ now 100 available ]

0 Blank sheet music 0 Pentatonic major scales 0 Pentatonic minor scales 1 Mexican Hat Dance 1 London Bridge 2 Old MacDonald 2 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (easy version) 2 Hava Nagila 3 Seashore Collection 2 3 Alouette 4 Japanese Boy (simple version) 4 Sunrise Flower 5 Danny Boy 6 Le Labyrinthe Forme Dans Le Cerveau .

Also added: The “take a break”page with some fun stuff.


UPDATE Sept.28 , 2010 [ now 113 available]

0 Marathon Scales (in all 24 keys) 1 -? Music for piano education – 133 pieces - (4 volumes in English or German) 1 Beethoven's Fifth (very easy version) 3 Nutcracker, russian dance (easy version) 4 Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3 (easy version) . 4 Funeral March 5 Sorrow 5 Nocturne in E flat 6 Swan Lake – Dance of the Swans ? Polonaise

UPDATE Oct.5 , 2010 [ now 121 available]

2 The Cuckoo 3 Kleine Studio Op.68 no.14 (Little Study) 4 Il Silenzio (aka Taps) [for trumpet sound] 4 Stückchen Op.68 no.5 (Little Piece) 4 Melodie Op.68 no.1 (Melody) 4 Blätter im Wind (Leaves in the wind) 5 Ein Choral Op.68 no.4 (Chorale) ? Brudevalsen (Wedding Waltz)

I am adding some optional sheets w. fingering
for those who prefer that.

I have some interesting new links (more free sheets), and
the “take a break” page is growing steadily as well.


UPDATE Oct. 7 , 2010 [ now 130 available]

1 Dance around C 1 Chord introduction 2 Scarborough Fair 2 O Sole Mio 2 Aura Lee (Love Me Tender) 2 Memory (from Cats) 2 Largo “From the new world” 3-? Bach’s 12 Little Preludes 4 Waltzing Matilda

Introduction is now available in French –
thanks to willis77, who kindly translated it for me.

The “12 Little Preludes For Beginners” by Bach is an interesting collection. It’s in the list with the 3’s, as I believe you can start practice on the easier ones pretty early on, and they are great exercises, but most of these will keep you learning for yeeeeears to come.
It is said, that Bach wrote these for his children (of which he had no less than 7), for their musical education. I tell you, “easy” and “beginner” are very relative terms. I would have loved to hear his children play.


UPDATE Oct. 11 , 2010 [ now 140 available]

Don’t laugh at the Christmas décor. Unless you want to drive your family up the tree with an “I know only one song”-Christmas, it’s probably none too soon to start thinking about learning at least a small repertoire of Christmas songs. If you’re anything like me, it’ll take you a little while.

Also added:
- a number of optional sheets w. fingering for some of the “old” tunes.
- complete list of Key Signatures, info on sight reading, intervals, and more
- Pianoted’s midi-files of scales (more as they become available)
- more great links

2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas 2 Little Drummer Boy – easy version 2 O Little Town of Bethlehem 3 Silver Bells 3 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 3 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – easy version 5 Carol of The Bells ? Little Drummer Boy – full ? Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - full ? Silent Night - full

UPDATE Oct. 13 , 2010 [ now 153 available]

More Christmas Carols.
Most are Danish, but don’t let that stop you from playing them.

2 Et barn er født i Betlehem - easy (A child is born in Bethlehem) 3 Julen har bragt velsignet bud – easy (Christmas brought a blessed message) 3 Sikken voldsom trængsel og alarm - easy (Julestemning / Christmas mood) 3 Oh Holy Night – easy (Cantique de Noel) 4 Højt fra træets grønne top – easy (High atop the tree) 6 En rose så jeg skyde (I saw a rose budding) 6 Oh Holy Night (Cantique de Noel) ? Højt fra træets grønne top – full ? Et barn er født i Betlehem – full ? Dejlig er den himmel blå – full (Lovely is the blue sky) ? Det kimer nu til Julefest – full (It’s ringing for Christmas) ? Julen har bragt velsignet bud – full ? Sikken voldsom trængsel og alarm - full

UPDATE Oct. 16 , 2010 [ now 162 available]

2 Jeg er Havren (I am the Oat) 2 She (partial) 3 Those were the days (Dorogoi Dlinnoyu) 3 Morgenstemning (Morning Mood) – easy version 4 Irish Lullaby 5 Elizabethan Serenade (partial) 6 Dovregubbens Hall (Hall of the Mountain King) 6 Bolero ? Morgenstemning (Morning Mood)

UPDATE Oct. 22, 2010 [ now 180 available]

0 Arpeggio Exercise 2 Un Bel Di Vedremo – Mm.Butterfly (One Fine Day) 2 Soldiers’ Chorus – Faust 3 Lippen Schweigen - Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) 3 Toreador – Carmen 3 Musetta’s Waltz – La Boheme 3 La Donna e Mobile - Rigoletto 3 O Mio Babbino Caro – easy (Oh My Beloved Father) 4 Libiamo – La Traviata (Drinking Song) 4 Vilja Lied – Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) 5 Habanera - Carmen 5 Le Petit Carnaval (Little Fairy Waltz) 5 Va Pensiero – Nabucco (Slaves Chorus) 6 La Viollette 6 O Mio Babbino Caro (Oh My Beloved Father) 6 Vesti La Giuppa – Pagliacci (Put on the costume) 6 Triumphal March – Aida ? Anvil Chorus – Il Trovatore

Also added a Scale practice Guide to the list, and more great links.

UPDATE Oct. 29, 2010 [ now 200 available]

1 Sailing - easy 1 Funeral March of a Marionette - easy (aka Hitchcock Theme) 1 Dona Nobis Pacem – easy (Give us Peace) 2 Hey Jude (Beatles) 2 Sailing – short 2 Save your love 2 You are my sunshine 2 Take my breath away - easy (Top Gun Theme) 3 My heart will go on (Titanic Theme) 3 By the rivers of Babylon 3 Daisy Bell (A bicycle built for two) 4 Michelle (Beatles) 4 Yesterday (Beatles) 4 Dona Nobis Pacem (Give us Peace) 5 Irish Washerwoman 5 Tarantella Napoletana 5 Hungarian Dance no.5 6 Take my breath away (Top Gun Theme) 6 Imagine 6 Funeral March of a Marionette (aka Hitchcock Theme)

UPDATE Now. 5, 2010 [now 216 available]

1 Super Trouper (ABBA) 1 Summertime (Porgy and Bess) 2 Som et strejf af en dråbe -easy (Gasolin) 2 As Time Goes By 2 Elvira Madigan –easy (PC no.21-2nd mvt.) 2 Det er idag et vejr (Kim Larsen) 3 Non, Je ne regrette rien (Edith Piaf) 4 Som et strejf af en dråbe (Gasolin) 4 La Vie en Rose (Edith Piaf) 4 Les Patineurs (The Skaters’ Waltz) 4 I have a dream – easy (ABBA) 5 What shall we do with the drunken sailor 5 Ecossaise in E flat major 6 I have a dream – short (ABBA) ? I have a dream (ABBA) ? Elvira Madigan (PC no.21-2nd mvt.)

UPDATE Now. 12, 2010 [now 228 available]

2 Liebestraum No.3 - very easy 5 Waltz, Die Fledermaus - short (The Bat) 5 Ländler - Haydn (Folk dance) 6 1812 Overture 6 Liebestraum No.3 - easy 6 Polonaise Op.53 - easy 6 Moonlight Sonata – easy 6 Sonatina Op.36 No.1 1st mvt. ? Liebestraum No.3 - full ? Moonlight Sonata – full ? Sonatina Op.36 No.1 - full ? Waltz, Die Fledermaus (The Bat)

UPDATE Now. 19, 2010 [now 246 available]

2 Aloha ’Oe (Farewell to Thee) 3 Beatiful Dreamer – easy 4 Bella Notte (This is the night) 4 Chariots of Fire Theme 4 A time for us – easy (Romeo and Juliet) 5 Harry Potter Theme 5 1492: Conquest of Paradise Theme 5 I dreamed a dream (Les Miserables) 5 Once upon a time in the West 6 Beatiful Dreamer 6 The Godfather Theme 6 Onward, Christian Soldiers 6 A time for us (Romeo and Juliet) 6 Tale as old as time (Beauty and the Beast) 6 La Valse d'Amélie (Amélie) 6 Comptine d'un Autre Été (Amélie) ? Beatiful Dreamer – variations ? A time for us – Mancini (Romeo and Juliet)

Jytte, that's great! I saw that you have the major scales. Since many want to cover two octaves for each scale there is a thread on this page that might be of interest with links to many scales with fingering. This one here:

Scales and Arpeggios in PDF

Thanks pianoted, never saw that post, I will add that to my collection immediately, they are great.

Oh, how could I've not seen this before?! This will for sure be of great help. It's awesome, jytte. (:

You haven't seen it before, because I just started the site a few days ago

I know how much time I've spent surfing the net looking for sheets for this and that, and for good information on the process of learning. Also finding all kinds of links and help in here. So I thought, why not put it all in one place, and that's what I'm doing. I try to list all the "good places" that I've found or been shown, and all the sheets that I gather or have made myself when not available elsewhere. It will mostly be what I happen to like, but it will still be a loooooong list of things to play, and other people (especially newbies) may find things they like too on my lists. And I try to combine sheets/sound files, as it is so frustrating to find sheet music and not know how the tune sounds, and also to see/hear a piece of music performed and not have the sheet available.

I'm also sure that I haven't found it all, ha ha, so anyone with links or sheets that they feel is "a must" (like Pianoted's info on the great scales) to have on such a list, feel free to tell me, and I'll add it.

Just wanted to point out that it looks like all the PDF sheets on Gmajor music theory have suggestions for fingering included.

Jytte has the link on her website. Jytte maybe you should add that in the description of the Gmajor link on your site, although I'm not trying to tell you how to work with your own website.

I'm sure many piano students are looking for fingering instructions, both on individual pieces and in general. At least I am.

You've got a point there. I didn't really think people would be all that interested in the fingerings, but maybe so. I'll have a look at which ones have fingering on'em.

Pianoted wrote:Just wanted to point out that it looks like all the PDF sheets on Gmajor music theory have suggestions for fingering included.
Jytte has the link on her website. Jytte maybe you should add that in the description of the Gmajor link on your site, although I'm not trying to tell you how to work with your own website.
I'm sure many piano students are looking for fingering instructions, both on individual pieces and in general. At least I am.

You'll be happy to know, that I've added fingering comment on the links, also to the Free Sheet Piano Music, as they have fingerings as well.

I've also added "w.fingering" on all the sheets in my lists that do in fact have that. And I'll try to add a fingering-version to my own sheets as I get them dug out again.

Hmmm, 'bout time I got some more tunes added as well, I guess.

I'm still on a constant search for different music in easy versions to play. As much as I like the two main "easy piano music" sites mentioned above, a lot of the music, while easy and appropriate to practice on, is not something I can stand to listen to for long periods of time (which is what it takes to learn them). So I'm trying to add more variety to my own list.

If anyone have any suggestions, they're more than welcome !

By the way, the "ratings" are personal, and if anyone feel that a piece of music is way off here, feel free to put in a protest, and I'll have another look and change if necessary.

Hey, that's great, now we have lots of beginner pieces with finger instructions.

And I've got a bunch of new pieces (w fingering) coming, will see if I get some uploaded tonight or tomorrow.

BUMP = Update: new sheets added (see updated list in my first post)

Keep up the good work Jytte!! Much appreciated...
I will add more fingering to my piece, but creating the sheet music is something I postpone nowadays. First I need to finish the 2nd part

Thank you.
It seems that some like to have fingerings, some don't. So I guess the nice thing to do is to make one with and one without on those beginner-level sheets. I'd say though, that from level 5-6 up (I'm just using my rating here) that should be a thing of the past? I mean, at that level, you shouldn't need finger-suggestions, but make out your own.

BUMP = Update: new sheets added (see updated list in my first post)

Thank you jytte, you always have some interesting pieces on your site and it's constantly growing. Glad you got Michelle and Hey Jude. In case there are other Beatles addicts here beside myself, I'd like to tell you about this site:

https://www.youtube.com/user/pianojohn113

This guy's great, he has tutorials of most of the popular Beatles hits, along with other rock artists like Billy Joel, John Lennon and Elton John. In his videos he teaches how to mix the melody with chords, in the right hand (the left also playing chords or octaves.) It adds a deeper sound to the song. I might even pluck out the score in midis from some of the songs, if I have nothing to do!

hmmm, I looked at that, and another one like it. They play a bunch of chords, which makes for nice accompany for somebody singing, but where's the melody when you're playing solo??

Unless you grow a third arm for that

The trick is to combine the melody and chords in the same hand, so it sounds like the one note melody, but deeper. I've not learned it but that's how PianoJohn does it. Works well for Michelle, haven't checked the other tutorials.

For example if you're playing the note E, you can replace it with an E or Em chord. Or play a three note chord and use the free finger to squeeze in an extra note, to make the melody stand out.

BUMP = Update: new sheets added (see updated list in my first post)