Finding the top songs with piano and guitar can be difficult. This is because most people think both instruments don’t sound good together. However, there are many songs with piano and guitar that sound great and are fun to play. All it takes to find one is a good search.
Are you looking for the top songs with piano and guitar?
If you answered “Yes” to the above question, then you should stay glued to your screen as we’ve compiled a list of the top 15 songs with piano and guitar.
Does Piano Go Well with Guitar?
Yes. Piano and guitar go well together. As earlier stated, most people think they don’t sound good together but this is false. Almost any instrument can sound good when combined with another. What matters is how they interact with one another. You can easily make guitar and piano sound good together if you know your scales and chords.
But it also depends on what you want to do with it: do you want the piano to play chords or the guitar to play chords, and then do you want the piano to play a scale or the guitar to play a scale?
Most of the time, I hear a guitar playing a G-D-C-Em chord progression, followed by a piano-playing over it.
Are Pianos and Guitars on the Same Key?
To start with, this question is rather wrong. The piano and guitar are both played on any key. Yes. It is entirely possible for both the guitar and piano to be in the same key; however, this is dependent on the notes used by the player.
A better question will be, can piano and guitar be on the same key?
For example, in the key of C Major, the player only needs to use the white notes on the piano, and as long as the tonal centre is C, the player is in the key of C. The note around which the rest of the music revolves is known as the tonal centre.
15 Top Songs with Piano and Guitar
We’ve compiled a list of the 15 top songs with piano and guitar after broad research and review of songs with both instruments.
1. Radiohead – ‘Karma Police’
Karma Police, one of the most iconic songs in rock music history, is accompanied by a rhythmic piano and an acoustic guitar.
On August 25, 1997, Karma Police was released as the second single from their third studio album OK Computer. Also, it peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart and 14 in the US Alternative Songs chart.
If you’re a fan of Radiohead, you’ll love playing this song as a duet.
2. John Lennon – ‘Oh My Love’
There are no words to describe how moving this beautiful song, Oh My Love, by John Lennon is. On May 28, 1971, “Oh My Love” was recorded at Ascot Sound Studios and was the final song recorded for the Imagine LP.
Without a doubt, Oh My Love is a great duet song for guitarists and pianists because it features only piano, guitar, and voice. Even without vocals, the texture of the song is quite rich, and it almost sounds like a classical piece.
3. Taylor Swift – ‘Ours’
Fans of Taylor Swift will be pleased to learn that Ours is performed on an acoustic guitar and keyboard. On November 8, 2011, Big Machine Records released Ours as a promotional song from the album, Speak Now.
Besides, it’s one of Tay’s best love songs, and I recommend giving it a try because it’s relatively simple to play and a good match for guitar and piano.
4. Peter Bradley Adams – ‘The Longer I Run’
Peter Bradley Adams is one of my favorite musicians, and I never get tired of listening to him. The Longer I Run is no exception to his beautiful songs. At the start, it has a simple piano pattern and is accompanied throughout the song by a sweet acoustic guitar melody.
5. John Grant – ‘I Wanna Go to Marz’
I Wanna Go to Marz is a song from the album Queen of Denmark, which is the debut solo album of John Grant. John Grant is an American songwriter who previously worked with the band “Czars.”
The song begins with a nice piano riff and a soft guitar accompaniment that gradually builds up from the start. Also, I Wanna Go to Marz was also featured on the soundtrack of the film “Weekend.”
6. Taylor Swift – ‘Mad Woman’
Here’s another banger from Tay on our list of the 15 top songs with piano and guitar. Mad Woman, from the Folklore album, is one of the most intriguing acoustic guitar and piano duets I’ve ever heard.
Throughout the song, the piano provides a lovely melodic accompaniment, while the guitar provides a gentle accompaniment melody.
7. Derek and The Dominos – ‘Layla’
Layla is one of the best rock songs of all time, written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon. It was inspired by Layla and Majnun’s love story, as well as Clapton’s unrequited love for Pattie Boyd at the time.
The song is well-known for its iconic piano solo in the middle, and it’s also one of the best electric guitar and piano songs available.
8. Queen – ‘Somebody To Love’
While it’s nice to have a choir and a great solo vocalist for this piece, it’s also great to perform with just a piano, electric guitars, and drums if possible. Somebody to Love is one of the most legendary and unforgettable songs in rock music history, with the gospel and Aretha Franklin influences.
The piano is the main instrument in the song; it begins with a piano solo and does not stop playing until the very end. Electric guitars play an important role in the song as well.
9. Journey – ‘Open Arms’
Open Arms is an iconic song that will never get old to listen to or perform. It is regarded as one of the greatest rock ballads of all time. Besides, the song’s powerful lyrics are backed up by a sentimental piano and iconic electric guitar melodies.
At the start, it has a stunning solo piano introduction and continues through the middle of the song. When the electric guitars join in, the piano’s accompaniment pattern shifts from melodic accompaniment to chord pressing.
This is a top song to play with piano and guitar!
10. Scorpions – ‘The Future Never Dies’
Despite not being as popular as Wind of Change or Still Loving You, Scorpions’ The Future Never Dies is a powerful and underrated rock song. Scorpions are a heavy metal band from Germany.
The song begins with a great solo piano riff that sets the tone for a piano rock ballad. Electric guitars, on the other hand, appear near the chorus and add a lot to the song.
11. Carulli – ‘Trois Valses Op.32’
Ferdinando Carulli was an Italian composer who mostly composed for the classical guitar, though he also composed concertos and chamber works. However, he used classical guitar in all of his pieces, making him one of the most famous composers of the instrument.
One of the rarest and most beautiful pianos and classical guitar duets I’ve ever heard is Trois Valses (op. 32). If you enjoy Trois Valses, I strongly advise you to look into Carulli’s other works, since his classical piano-guitar duets are one-of-a-kind and not to be missed.
12. Paul McCartney – ‘My Valentine’
My Valentine is a song written by Paul McCartney in 2012 for his wife, Nancy Shevell. Guess what? He also performed the song at their wedding. Eric Clapton played guitar on the song’s original recording.
Since the song is largely built on 7th chords, it has some flavor of jazz in it. Although other instruments, such as strings, can be heard in the background, the song’s main two instruments are classical guitar and piano.
It’s a very romantic song with piano and guitar that’s a lot of fun to perform!
13. Anton Diabelli – ‘18 Pieces for Guitar and Piano’
While Diabelli was best known at the time for his music publishing company, he was also a music teacher, composer, and guitarist/pianist who composed several works for both instruments.
These 18 Pieces for Guitar and Piano are among the best works for classical guitar and piano duos ever written. They’re in the beginner & intermediate range, so they’re easy to pick up and play.
The music sheet of these 18 Pieces for Guitar and Piano is available on Amazon.
14. John Ferrer – ‘Duet for Guitar and Piano’
José Ferrer, a Spanish guitarist, and composer wrote various pieces for the guitar, but he was famous for his magnificent duos, particularly for guitar and piano. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite Jose Ferrer works, and it’s a terrific piece to perform at recitals.
15. Snow Patrol – ‘I Think of Home’
I Think of Home is a touching ode to growing up in Ireland, written and sung by Gary Lightbody. Even though I’ve never visited Ireland, I find myself missing it anytime I hear this song.
Besides, this song does not require much to sound beautiful. Plus, it’s an excellent one to play only as a piano and guitar duet without any other instruments.
See Also,
- Best Guitar Pickups for Metal
- Best Acoustic Guitar for Country Music
- Rap Break Up Song
- Best 12 String Acoustic Guitar Under 1000
- Best Guitars for Folk Music
- How to Write a Song from the Heart
- Best Amp for Vocals and Guitar
- Best Electric Guitar for Rhythm
- How to Tune an Electric Guitar Without a Tuner
- Best Stratocaster for the Money
- Best Short Scale Bass Under 500
- Top Stop Songs
How Do I play the Guitar and Piano in the Same Key Signature?
To play the guitar and piano in the same key signature, you just have to know the notes of both instruments. Here are the steps you need to achieve this:
1. Understand what key you want to play in
First, you must decide and understand what key you want to play in. Having done this, you then must determine the key signature of the song.
2. Look up the key signature on Google to determine its notes
The second step is to check the notes of the key signature on Google. Any website that can provide the key signature’s note is perfect.
3. Write down the notes on a paper
This is especially for those who cannot memorize notes of key signature or scale.
The Circle of Fifths is a great way to remember these things, as well as the acronyms for the order of sharps and flats, such as Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle and BEAD-GCF, among others.
4. Figure out what the notes look like on a guitar
This is similar to step 2, you simply need to search what the scale looks like on the guitar on Google. For example, if you want to play in the key of A Minor, you can google search “A Minor Guitar Notes.”
With regular practice, you won’t need to check the notes on Google.
5. Find out what the notes are on a piano
Finally, you need to find out the notes are on a piano. You can repeat the procedure as in step 4 above if you’re not so familiar with checking notes on a piano.
Voila! You can jam on both instruments in the same key from here on. To get better at it, you must be patient and keep practicing!
What is Easier to Learn, Piano or Guitar?
Overall, the guitar is easier to learn than the piano. For this context, we define easy to learn as the relative ease of learning to play chords of a song on each musical instrument.
Generally, only the right notes will be able to make a sound when your fingers are in the right place on a guitar chord. Conversely, you have the entire keys on the piano to choose from when you want to play.
Hence, the guitar is easier for a beginner than a piano.
Conclusion
There you have it, the 15 top songs with piano and guitar! I know it’s really hard to find the top songs with piano and guitar, so I hope this list has given you some insights into your piano and guitar combinations.
We also considered how to play both the piano and guitar in the same key while you’re at it! If you know of any other songs with piano and guitar, please let us know in the comments so that we can expand this list and end up with a huge library of duets!
Which song on the list is your favorite? What song do you intend to learn?
Leave a Reply