First Hit Songs

John Thompson's Piano Course

This edition of John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course introduces a number of First Hit Songs to the beginner pianist, providing easy-to-play hits in the well-loved John Thompson style with simplified arrangements and large notation. A number of the most popular chart songs are included in First Hit Songs, which have all been simplified so that pupils working through parts two to four of the Easiest Piano Course are able to play some familiar and famous tunes. The songs are ordered progressively, so as pupils learn more challenging theory and techniques, they can put that intopractice by getting to grips with more advanced songs. All the songs included here are well-known hits, with most being modern chart-toppers. The 15 hits in this songbook include Piano-based ballads like Tom Odell's Real Love and Sam Smith's I'm Not The Only One, as well as more upbeat pop tunes arranged for Piano like Style by Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor's Lips Are Movin'. Other hits like See You Again, Hold Back The River, Blame It On Me and Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud are included, along with two all-time classics, Love Is All Around and We Are The Champions. Popular songs like these enable pupils to enhance their learning by using the techniques to play songs they know and love, helping them to develop deeper musicality. Because dynamics and phrasing are not introduced until part three of the Easiest Piano Course, some of the songs early in First Hit Songs do not feature this, while some outline fingering is included throughout, helping pupils at this level. As well as being a fun and enjoyable complement to learning, the book can also provide invaluable sight-reading practice for advanced students.