I'm lucky to have discovered and learned this relatively accessible piece that people actually clap and cheer for when I play. A little girl once stood up in the room to say that she forgot she even existed while listening to the piece. I've experienced variations of that reaction multiple times with this same piece in different contexts.
But I don't want to be a one-trick pony! Do you know of any other non-virtuoso pieces that might be people pleasers? I can think of a few, but I've not got any of them under my fingers well enough... and somehow I can't maintain multiple pieces in my repertoire for long when I'm learning new stuff.
Richard Clayderman? He was wildly popular in Asia back in the days.
And this piece - "Mariage d'amour" composed by Paul de Senneville. There are many more (and better) versions on YouTube now. But I think Clayderman made it popular first. Some people even mistakenly believe it as "Spring Waltz" by Chopin .
Chopin waltzes almost always work imo.
Turkish March
Transcriptions of songs you know your audience has heard like Bohemian Rhapsody etc.
Ragtime, Scott Joplin - a bit difficult but not virtuosic
Slow well known ballad songs such as "As Time Goes By", "Fly Me to the Moon", "Moon River", "Old Man River". In my opinion knowing the melody makes them easier to play. However depending on the arrangement harmonies can be difficult to learn quickly. If they are difficult the player can usually simplify them by editing out a few notes.
If you can handle the head turning and painful expressions and putting the head down onto the keys and standing up etc --- or maybe just close your eyes heheh ... then this one here is very nice and relaxing.
Keith Jarrett excellent. Really great. I actually came to like those expressions he did - face/head/standing etc. Adds to the performance actually.
I've found that the general population enjoys almost anything so long as they're familiar with the song. I went to a store the other day, playing to some Ed Sheeran (it was playing in the radio in the store), so played along with it. People were very amused and appreciated it. Other times I'll playin Somewhere Over the Rainbow, other times Golden Hour, other times Amazing Grace, Alicia Keys, Elton John, etc. And any popular movie soundtrack. Or video games, such as Zelda. I even recently played Angry Birds song just for fun.
I also think Philip Glass, Erik Satie stuff somehow sound more pleasing to the ear, and not hackneyed compared to Yiruma.
As a by-ear pianist, in general, "regular" people are far more entertained and impressed by my skills, than I am.
Like all music ... one is not everyone's cup of tea. There's abundance of incredible music ... including piano music out there. Tchai is definitely legendary in my mind ... along with a heap of other folks ... past and pres.
Music by Einaudi often attracts an audience if played on a street piano in the UK. I have one of his books and find it not too difficult to play but I always have to read it from the score.
Movie scores are usually well liked because most people appreciate stuff they've heard before and much of classical music isn't known. The trick is to play stuff people know and have heard and remember.
Try:
Chevaliers de Sangreal (amazing piano piece very much like bluebird in complexity)
Niche music like ragtime/jazz/etc isn't so universal in appeal. I would stay away from "modern" music because it too is a niche. Even pop is sort of a musical niche.
And then there's the fun stuff.
La Bamba
Mambo No. 5
Por Una Cabeza
Lots of interesting Celtic stuff out there too. Most of it isn't mainstream but it's pleasant to listen to without getting too far into the musical weeds.
Normally - very well written piece of music - eg. from either certain 'great' composers - or from any composer for that matter - can get certain magic happening in the minds of the listener (on the receiving side). I think most people know what is meant here. This is regardless of what genre it is.
While not every bit of music is everyone's cup of tea - as mentioned already - people do listen to unknown music for the first time - and have them hooked forever. Or at least for a long time.
For example - a lot of people did get hooked on the brilliance and sound/beat/voice - even lyrics (even if didn't understand the words) of say gangnam style. Same does and can apply to piano --- piano music. Fully piano music.
@navindra "#p12945 A little girl once stood up in the room to say that she forgot she even existed while listening to the piece.
What an absolutely wonderful compliment!!! <3
@iternabe , indeed, those Clayderman (de Senneville) pieces are hugely popular in Japan! And they're lovely pieces (although I prefer them as solo piano rather than with canned strings as they're often performed)
Re @navindra 's canon, that's very lovely as well! Canon is always a people pleaser in my experience, and most people are used to hearing it in various arrangements, so they don't have a lot of expectations for how it "should" sound.
Another good one is Bach's "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" (that's the one right, in all triplets or thirds? I can go check). David Nevue has a particularly nice arrangement of that.
I feel like I'm supposed to like Ólafur Arnalds -- and really, I should, given my general taste in piano music and the pieces I play (Einaudi, Winston, Nevue, Ffrench etc.) But some how I've not found a piece by him that grabs me.
Having said that, Saman (thanks for the video, @Josephine ) sounds like something I would enjoy playing... Maybe I should pay more attention to his music...
I would also second pieces by Yann Tiersen, esp. Comptine... and La Valse... And those are both easier than the two Clayderman pieces posted above, IMO.
And of course, as @keff said, Einaudi is very accessible to the casual listener. People at PW always lumped him in with minimalism, but I don't think that's accurate. The melodic line in his music is always very clear, and I find that's an essential element for a piece to be a people pleaser.
And I will add one, Brian Crain. I have played "Wind" both as a solo piece and with a violinist, it was always very well received. Here's the solo version:
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