JIM THE PIANO GUY
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    • Late Elementary Solos
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EARLY INTERMEDIATE SOLOS

Great for students once they have learned 8th rests, off-beat pick-ups, finger cross overs, movement between 5-finger positions, and C/G one-octave scales.

Recently Released


"Gimme Some Lovin' "
​by The Spencer Davis Group

*NEW* 5/2/22 LH plays in C position except for 2 mm. move to Gm position.  RH plays mostly in Gm pentatonic scale by extending thumb to play 3rd between 1-2 fingers.
Buy "Gimme Some Lovin' "

"Kiss From A Rose" by Seal

*NEW* 4/18/22 Meter changed to 3/4 to simpler reading.  LH plays Cm position; RH moves frequently with leaps as big as a 7th, finger crossing within phrases (2 over 1, 4 over 1) and finger changes on repeated notes.  Frequent changes between Bb & B natural in melody.
Buy "Kiss From A Rose"

"Sweet Creature" by Harry Styles

*NEW* 4/11/22 Hand movement has stepwise, parallel motion.  RH plays middle C to treble C with some scalic runs & quick finger substitutions on repeated notes.  LH has octave leap & crosses 2 over 1.
Buy "Sweet Creature"

"One Headlight" by The Wallflowers

*NEW* 4/4/22 LH is mostly D position.  RH plays in Bm, D, & Em positions.  Shifts by changing fingers on repeated notes & movement during rests.
Buy "One Headlight"

LISTED ALPHABETICALLY (by song title)

"10,000 Hours"  by Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber

Transposed to C to eliminate black keys. LH has very simple, repetitive pattern. RH has significant movement.
Buy "10,000 Hours"

"All I Know So Far" by P!nk

Transposed to G for better note reading on staff. LH in C position; RH mostly in G & C positions but has significant movement.  
Buy "All I Know So Far"

"Alone" by Heart

LH in Em, C, & Bb positions. Well-known riff requires 3 finger to hop from G to G#.  RH is mostly Em, F,  Am positions.
Buy "Alone"

"Arcade" by Duncan Laurence

RH plays A below middle C to high C.  LH plays in Dm or F position. Movement is via finger substitution on repeated notes, finger crossovers & reaches of 6th/7th.
Buy "Arcade"

"Bang!" by AJR

Transposed to Dm for less black keys.  LH mostly 5ths.  RH is mostly Dm and F positions, reaches interval of 6th, and moves mostly on rests.
Buy "Bang!"

"Beautiful Mistakes" by Maroon 5

LH ostinato reaches a 6th, so thumb covers two notes.  RH has constant movement of 8th notes primarily in Am, C & Dm positions.
Buy "Beautiful Mistakes"

"Better Place" by Rachel Platten

LH ostinato covers E below bass staff to C on the staff.  RH plays mostly Am & C positions, substitutes fingers on repeated notes, & repositions hand within phrases.  
Buy "Better Place"

"Blessings" by Laura Story

Transposed to F so RH stays on treble clef. RH moves quite a bit.  LH is mostly in Gm position.
Buy "Blessings"

"Body Like A Back Road" by Sam Hunt

RH plays mostly in Dm position; LH stays in Bb position entire song.
Buy "Body Like A Back Road"

"Closer" by The Chainsmokers & Halsey

RH plays G pentatonic scale & needs descending one-octave arpeggio; LH plays 3 step ostinato except last few measures.
Buy "Closer"

"Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa

RH is mostly C position and has an octave leap.  LH plays mostly moving open 5ths.  
Buy "Don't Start Now"

"Easy On Me" by Adele

LH plays simple pattern that requires opening the thumb joint to reach 3rd between 1-2.  RH plays in C & F positions.  Movement happens with turn of thumb under 3 in m. 12, crossing 3 over 1 in m.23, and reaching a 3rd between 2-3 in m.8-9.
Buy "Easy On Me"

"Fight Song" by Rachel Platten

RH plays in G position for most of the song.  LH is in C & Am positions until final note.  
Buy "Fight Song"

"The Fighter" by Keith Urban

LH plays a 4 note ostinato (with rhythmic variation) and does not move.  RH plays Gm, Bb, and Cm positions.  Chorus has lots of movement and has intervals of 6th/7th/8th.
Buy "The Fighter"

"The Final Countdown" by Europe

LH plays in G & Am positions. RH plays in C, D & Em positions.  While most of the melody is in stepwise movement, there are numerous leaps of 6th and an octave.
Buy "The Final Countdown"

"Gimme Some Lovin' "
​by The Spencer Davis Group

LH plays in C position except for 2 mm. move to Gm position.  RH plays mostly in Gm pentatonic scale by extending thumb to play interval of 3rd between 1-2 fingers.
Buy "Gimme Some Lovin' "

"Give Your Heart A Break" by Demi Lovato

LH plays in F position (intro/outro) and Bb position (verse/chorus.  RH plays in C, Dm, F & G positions with significant movement.
Buy "Give Your Heart A Break"

"Havana" by Camila Cabello

Transposed to Dm to keep RH on staff.  LH stays in A/Am position, however, RH moves about every 2 measures.
Buy "Havana"

"Here With Me" by Marshmello

RH in D position except for one phrase when it shifts to Em position.  LH has two 4-note patterns in Em, G & D positions.
Buy "Here With Me"

"High Horse" by Kacey Musgraves

LH stays in Em position.  RH is mostly D position; lots of movement & complicated fingerings due to range & leaps of melody.
Buy "High Horse"

"Higher Love" by Steve Winwood 

You may also know it from Kygo & Whitney Houston.  Transposed to F to keep RH on staff. Both hands move significantly.
Buy "Higher Love"

"Hold Me Now" ​by The Thompson Twins

LH plays in F position. RH plays in Dm, Em, F, & C positions.  Finger change on repeated notes in mm. 14-15 & 22-23.
Buy "Hold Me Now"

"I'll Be There" by Walk Off the Earth

Transposed to F to keep RH on staff. LH stays in place entire song.  RH has frequent movement.
Buy "I'll Be There"

"I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne

RH mostly in A, D, & E positions but moves frequently due to melody range. LH is often in G or A position; must play 7th interval.
Buy "I'm With You"

"The Joker & the Queen" by Ed Sheeran & Taylor Swift

LH plays in C & G positions.  RH plays mostly C & Em positions.
Buy "The Joker..."

"Kings & Queens" by Ava Max

Transposed to Em for less sharps. LH has 4 mm ostinato; RH moves a lot as melody has leaps and range of octave and a third.
Buy "Kings & Queens"

"Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat & SZA

LH ostinato in G position with some rhythmic variation.  RH plays in Bm, C, D, & Em positions.  Lots of movement with quick changes on 8th rests, reaching to 6th, finger substitution on repeated notes.
Buy "Kiss Me More"

"Kiss From A Rose" by Seal

LH plays Cm position.  RH moves frequently to cover the soaring melodic range, leaps up to 7th.  2 over 1, 4 over 1 crossovers and finger changes on repeated notes.  Frequent changes between Bb & B natural.  
Buy "Kiss From A Rose"

"Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello & the Jonas Brothers

LH plays 4-note ostinato in C position.  RH plays in D, Em, & G positions and has significant movement.  Must play interval of 6th w/fingers 1-4 and 7th w/fingers 1-5.
Buy "Leave Before You Love Me"

"Lose Somebody" by Kygo & OneRepublic

Transposed to C & put in cut time to eliminate 16th notes. LH plays entire song in F position.  RH plays in Am/C/Dm positions with lots of movement.
Buy "Lose Somebody"

"Love Again" by Dua Lipa

Transposed to Em for less black keys. LH plays 4-note ostinato.  RH movement via finger crossovers & hand shifts mid-phrase.
Buy "Love Again"

"Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber

Buy "Love Yourself"
Transposed to C.  RH stays in C position; LH plays in F position, except verse which in is G position.

"More Than Words" by Extreme

RH plays C, G, Am & Bm positions with leaps of 7th in mm. 27-28 & 35-36.  Challenging fingering in mm.20-22 due to accidentals.  LH plays G, Am & C positions. 
Buy "More Than Words"

"Never Gonna Let You Down"
​by Colbie Callait

LH plays in F position.  RH plays mostly in Am or C position.  Knowing RH first inversion chord fingering (1-2-5) will be helpful.  RH has finger substitution on repeated note in m.14.
Buy "Never Gonna Let You Down"

"One Headlight" by the Wallflowers

LH is mostly D position.  RH plays in Bm, D, & Em positions.  Shifts by changing fingers on repeated notes and movement during rests.
Buy "One Headlight"

"Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd

RH in Dm/G positions on verse but moves in pre-chorus, chorus and refrain; tricky 3-over-1 cross in mm. 22.  LH moves between G, Am, & C positions by substituting fingers on repeated notes.
Buy "Save Your Tears"

"Shelter From the Storm" by Bob Dylan

Transposed to G.  RH plays mostly G or C position.  LH plays in C position for verse and then descending G scale.
Buy "Shelter From the Storm"

"Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon

RH requires comfort with 1st inversion fingering (1-2-5).  LH plays 5th/6th intervals then moves to F position.
Buy "Shut Up and Dance"

"Slow Hands" by Niall Horan

Transposed to F to keep RH on staff. RH has frequent movement and finger crossovers; LH stays in Bb position entire arrangement.
Buy "Slow Hands"

"Stand Up" by Sugarland

Dotted 1/4 + 1/8 note rhythm is presented with tied notes in intro. RH plays in C, Dm, & F positions and moves frequently. LH plays in F & G positions; minimal movement.  
Buy "Stand Up"

"Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart

LH gets the intro synthesizer riff (watch F vs. F#!) and settles into whole notes.  RH plays primarily in G, Am, & C positions.
Buy "Sunglasses at Night"

"Sweet Creature" by Harry Styles

Hand movement is a challenge with some stepwise, parallel motion.  RH plays middle C to treble C with some scalic runs & quick finger substitutions on repeated notes.  LH has octave leap & crosses 2 over 1.
Buy "Sweet Creature"

"Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith 

Transposed to C to keep melody on staff. RH moves between C, Dm & G positions.  LH stays in G position entire song. 
Buy "Too Good at Goodbyes"

"Viva la Vida" by Coldplay

RH plays in mostly Em, G & Am positions. LH stays in C position.  Transposed to G. 
Buy "Viva la Vida"

"Wake Me Up" by Avicii

LH plays in G position.  RH covers middle C# to top line F#.  Movement by substituting fingers on repeated notes, turn under/cross over.  One difficult reach of 6th between 1-3 in m. 33.
Buy "Wake Me Up"

"What About Us" by P!nk

Transposed to C to keep RH on staff. LH has ostinato with some rhythmic pattern; RH plays in F, F, Am & C positions.
Buy "What About Us"

"What Do You Mean" by Justin Bieber

Transposed to G to keep melody on staff. RH is mostly G & Em positions.  LH stays in C position. 
Buy "What Do You Mean"

"Willow" by Taylor Swift

RH plays in C pos & G position. LH plays in C & D positions.  In original key.
Buy "Willow"

"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"
​by Dead or Alive

LH uses C & Em positions.  RH melody is primarily in Em & C positions; movement via finger substitution on repeated notes.  
Buy "You Spin Me Round"
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  • Home
  • Jim's Arranging Philosophy
  • Pop Arrangement Levels
    • Late Elementary Solos
    • Early Intermediate Solos
    • Late Intermediate Solos
    • Duets
  • About Jim