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Taylor Swift is one of the most influential - if not the most influential - artists on the planet. Her 'Eras' tour broke the record for highest-grossing concert tour in history, she has the most American Music Awards in history and is the only artist to win the Album of the Year Grammy four times, just to name a few of her achievements.
With this in mind, it is no surprise that we get many people coming to our showroom as ask if we have any Taylor Swift sheet music (the answer, if you're wondering, is yes we do!).
While she has too many bops to be featured in just one list, we have tried our best to compile a list of our favourite Taylor Swift songs to play on the piano.
Why Taylor Swift's Music is Great for Pianists
- Memorable Melodies
- Chord Simplicity and Creativity
- Emotional Expression
- Genre Variety
Taylor's music is not only emotionally powerful but it is also great fun to play on the piano. One thing so many of her songs have in common are their memorable memories - think Love Story or Look What You Made Me Do. These melodies are catchy which make her songs very satisfying to play.
Many of her songs use repetitive and easy to learn chord progressions, which allows you get get creative with how you play stylistically and allows you to feel more deeply when playing. This also aligns with how emotional her songs are, as when you don't have to think as hard about the chords you play, you can instead consider what emotions Taylor is trying to convey in her songs.
The final great thing about Taylor's music is that she has such a wide range of genre's in her discography. This means that you can explore different music styles for piano while still sticking within the guidelines of Taylor's music. Want a country ballad? Play You Belong with Me. Want a pop song? Shake It Off might be for you. Having variety in the songs you play will only make playing more fun and interesting.
Top 10 Taylor Swift Songs to Play on Piano
(In order of easiest to hardest.)
1. You Belong with Me
An absolute classic song and perfect for beginners! The simple chord progression and repetitive structures make it an easy play with basic pop rhythms.
If you're a total Swiftie and want very easy Taylor Swift songs to play, we would recommend playing songs from 'Really Easy Piano: 40 Taylor Swift Songs'. This book has all of Taylor's more popular songs, specially composed for beginners. Check it out!
2. Love Story
Our second easiest on the list is another song from Taylor Swift's second album, 'Fearless'. As one of her earlier albums, it makes sense that if you're looking for the easiest songs of hers to play on the piano, it may be worth focusing on songs from Fearless. Love Story has straightforward chord changes and a simple left-hand arrangement, making it a slight step up from You Belong with Me, while still being a beginner's song.
3. Blank Space
Blank Space has very repetitive chords with a steady rhythm, but trust us when we say that makes it so fun to sing along to while you play!
You can find Blank Space along with the rest for the songs from her fifth studio album in '1989 for Piano, Vocal and Guitar'. And don't worry - it's Taylor's version, of course!
4. Cruel Summer
Much like the earlier songs on our list, Cruel Summer has simple chords. However, it is slightly faster and it more rhythmic than the other songs, making it fourth on our list. It has a real diversity of emotions in the song, which is why we feel it is a great song to play on the piano.
5. Enchanted
Enchanted is where we move a little bit more into intermediate territory. It has more movement in the left hand with arpeggios, but it is still fairly repetitive, so I'd say that beginners-intermediates can play it.
Another great thing about this song is it is quite slow, which means you can practice it while still maintaining a tempo similar to the original.
You can find this song, along with many others, in Taylor Swift's third studio album Speak Now. 'Speak Now for Piano, Vocal and Guitar' is available to buy online and in our showroom (Taylor's version again, of course!).
6. Midnight Rain
We are making a 'swift' jump into slightly harder songs now (do you see what I did there?).
We felt we had to include a song from the brilliant Midnights album in this list, however as a true synth-pop album, it can be hard to be translated into piano. That being said, once you get the hang of it, it is, again, repetitive enough to master quickly.
It you need a bit of help translating the electronic elements into piano, use the 'Taylor Swift - Midnights (3am Edition) Piano, Vocal and Guitar' book to help!
7. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus (as well as being a bit of a mouthful) has a more complex melody and changes in dynamics that requires nuance.
However, it is one of our favourite songs to from her most recent album to play on the piano, due to how expressive and emotional it is.
Try playing all the songs from Taylor Swift's most recent album now, buying it in store or online.
8. All Too Well
Can you get a more emotional Taylor Swift song than this? All Too Well is a brilliant song to play on the piano if you are looking for emotional expression. However, it is number eight on our list for a reason. It has an intricate left-hand pattern, especially if you are playing Taylor's 10 minute version.
9. Exile (ft. Bon Iver)
Exile is a truly stunning song, which features more dramatic and contrasting parts between verses and the chorus. Look out for some unconventional chord progressions, which may trip you up.
10. Champagne Problems
Champagne Problems is the hardest Taylor Swift song on our list, however it brings a great deal of satisfaction once mastered. We have ranked it as the hardest due to its intricate arpeggios, shifting harmonies and delicate phrasing that requires strong dynamic control.
Tips for Playing Taylor Swift on Piano
Focus on Dynamics - Her songs often shift between soft, intimate moments and powerful climaxes. Use dynamics to bring emotion into your playing.
Experiment with Chord Voicings - Many songs can sound richer by adding extensions of different inversions.
Sing Along or Get a Friend to Sing Along - Many Swifties love playing her songs as an accompaniment for singing or duets.
Use a Sustain Pedal Wisely - A sustain pedal can help create a smooth, connected sound, especially for ballads. Make sure to only use it when needed! Listen to what you think is right.
We hope you enjoyed our list of the Top 10 Taylor Swift Songs to Play on Piano. With the huge discography that she has on offer, it was so challenging to restrict our list to just ten! You can find many many more of Taylor's songs in our collection of Taylor Swift sheet music which is available to buy both online and in our showroom.
Now go fourth - Swifties - and play!
Tilda
Tilda is our resident content creator and social media master. Having studied cello and piano when she was younger.