Need a "Cool" song for 10yo Piano Student

[MJ5150]

The intro riff from Imagine is nice.

When i was a kid i figured out the riff from Jump by Van Halen on piano, which is fun... wish i could remember it!

My pop got me a Casio keyboard when I was a kid, and I set out to master the intro keyboard bit from Wrapped Around Your Finger by The Police.
For some reason, that is burned into my brain to this day. Granted, it is overly simple, but I can sit down to any keyboard/piano and play that without even thinking twice.

-Mike

 

[BigBasserino]

My son has been taking Piano lessons for three years. He's not bad. But his teacher has yet to move beyond "Oh, Susanna," etc. He's getting bored. I feel like I could keep him interested if I could get him to play something that he liked.

This poses a couple of issues. First, I'm not a piano player. I can figure a few things out, but I'm no Chopin. Second, as a ten year old he doesn't have a huge list of songs that he likes. He listens to pop radio and likes video game songs. I asked him what he wanted to learn and he said "The Zelda Theme from Breath of the Wild." I looked it up. It's wicked complicated. Far beyond either of us. I know that he likes the song Video Killed the Radio Star...I couldn't find a simple enough version that I thought I'd be able to teach him.

I know with guitar and bass there are some simple tunes that everyone learns (Smoke on the Water, etc.). Are there any equivalents for piano? Any recommendations for a song that I can learn and can teach him? Any help is better than where we are right now.

 

[TOOL460002]

Get your kid to think the Beatles are cool. Possibilities endless.

 

[biguglyman]

My son started piano when he was very young and gravitated to the Beatles and video game music. He could play a bunch of the different Mario "themes" and strung a bunch together in his own arrangement for a class talent show. Brought down the house! Fast forward to high school a few years back and he did his own arrangement on the intro to angry young man by Billy Joel. Took first place. It's great when your kids pass you musically at an early age.

 

[Funky Ghost]

The first song that popped into my mind was Feeling That Way by Journey. It's got a great opening riff and is pretty grooving past that bit. So a challenge for the lad ( and you ) and then some good old rock n roll piano playing.

 

[fingerguy]