20 Easy Songs On The Trumpet (With Videos)

The trumpet is a great instrument with a unique sound, which shines in various genres, from atmospheric jazz and instrumental music to pop and other genres. But, it is a hard instrument to learn and master. It is crucial to play and practice the right songs that are fun to play to stick with your progress.

Many trumpet songs are too challenging, boring, or unknown for beginners. But luckily, there are some amazing songs to learn, which are quite famous, fun to play, and educative. They allow you to train the right techniques while you have the satisfaction and fun of playing some of the most famous tunes of music history.

So, let’s take a look at some of the easiest yet most enjoyable and famous songs to learn and practice on the trumpet.

1. All You Need Is Love – The Beatles

One of the first songs to come to mind when talking about trumpets is the amazing intro of the famous The Beatles song “All You Need Is Love.” The intro riff is played with a trumpet, and it sounds wonderful, plus it is quite easy to play.

Actually, the opening riff is a part of the French national anthem. The trumpet parts are not limited to the intro riff, and the song also offers quite an easy yet enjoyable trumpet score in the entire song.

2. What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

The legendary jazz singer and trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s famous tune “What A Wonderful World” is one of the trumpet classics, which every beginner should learn at some point. It is not the easiest song to learn as it features great triplets.

You can learn the parts of the song besides the solo, which can significantly help you to develop your trumpet skills. But take it slowly and put quality before quantity.

3. Ode to Joy – Ludwig Van Beethoven

The famous Beethoven melody from the mighty “Ode To Joy” is another great song to learn for beginner trumpetists. The range of notes is quite narrow, and the whole song is played with equal-length quarter notes, making everything even easier. The song is on a standard diatonic scale, a great introduction to playing a full scale.

There are only eight notes at the end of the melody. So, start slow and get comfortable with the partitions before building up the speed and focusing on the rhythmic aspect of the song.

4. All of Me – John Legend

John Legen’s famous tune, “All Of Me,” is another great song for beginner trumpet players to learn. It might seem challenging initially as a relatively fast-paced tune, but it is a great exercise for your fingers, breath, and rhythmic feel. 

When learning the song, try to practice it in partitions which means practicing the bars of the verses, the bridge, and the chorus separately, putting the quality of the notes before the speed.

5. How Deep Is Your Love – The Bee Gees

The famous song of the pop band The Bee Gees, “How Deep Is Your Love,” is a great song for trumpetists to learn and practice some breath support. The classic song features many eight notes, making it a great breath control exercise, and sounds amazing with straightforward note shapes.

The song can be a bit challenging for absolute beginners as it has many different notes and a relatively quick tempo here and there. So, start slow and build up the speed later with this one.

6. Fly Me to the Moon – Frank Sinatra

The iconic Frank Sinatra song “Fly Me To The Moon” is a great one to learn on the trumpet, especially for players who want to focus on jazz. It is a rite of passage for jazz trumpetists and is one of the easiest jazz songs you can learn. 

The song has repetitive verses making it easier to learn, making it easier. But, still, it is not the easiest song on the list. Taking the song one note at a time and being patient are important with this tune.

7. Baby Shark

The most viewed song on YouTube, the iconic child song “Baby Shark,” is another great song to learn on the trumpet with its upbeat tempo and repetitive notes. It is a great first trumpet song for absolute beginners and is quite fun to play.

The song is quite short and consists of only 3 notes, C, D, and E notes. It may not be the most exciting song to learn for some, but it is a great song to start playing the instrument and learn the basics.

8. We Will Rock You – Queen

The iconic rock band Queen’s legendary song “We Will Rock You” has a great chorus for beginner trumpet players to learn and add to their repertoire. The verses may be too hard as they need good breath control with fast notes, but the chorus can be a great beginner groove.

You only need C, D, E, and F notes to play the chorus part, and the notes are all quarter and eighth notes.

9. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen

“Hallelujah” by the prolific Canadian singer Leonard Cohen is a great song for beginner trumpet players from the beginning to the end, thanks to its slow tempo, straightforward structure, and repetitive notes. 

The song is also a great practice as it features many different notes. But do not worry; with the slow tempo, you have enough time to control your breath and change between the notes.

10. Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley

“Love Me Tender” by the King Of Rock And Roll, Elvis Presley, offers an amazing melody that you can easily learn on the trumpet. The melody features a slow tempo and basic quarter notes, making the song perfect for beginner players.

The highest note of the melody is a B flat note, while the lowest is a C. So, the range of notes you will play is pretty narrow, and the positions are quite simple.

11. Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple

The legendary rock song “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple has one of the most iconic riffs of rock history, which is quite impressive when adapted to the trumpet. It is highly easy to play with only four different notes and a basic rhythm pattern.

The only challenge with the song is the relatively fast transition in the second bar, but it is quite easy to get when you play it a bit slower.

12. Happy Birthday Song

The Happy Birthday song may not be the most exciting song to play, but it is a rite of passage for every musician when learning a new instrument. Plus, the song has many notes, even a high C note, along with notes with different durations, making it an amazing practice.

13. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – Jane Taylor

The famous children’s song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by Jane Taylor is another great melody you should have in your beginner trumpet repertoire due to its easy major scale pattern, basic rhythmic aspect, and straightforward structure with double note groups.

The song is in the C major scale, which is perfect for beginners to get familiar with major scales and a bit of music theory, too.

14. Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley

Another great Elvis song to learn on the trumpet is “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” with its slow tempo and narrow range of notes. The chorus is amazingly fun to play with some high notes and repetitive patterns. 

If you can not control your breath or catch up with the tempo for the chorus, you should turn down the tempo and try to divide the song into parts and practice that way, building up the speed later and putting the parts together.

15. Amazing Grace – John Newton

https://youtu.be/E9uDwQCciqU?t=118

One of the easiest songs to learn on the trumpet is “Amazing Grace” by John Newton. It has only a quarter and eight notes in a very slow tempo. Plus, the notes you need are some of the most basic ones, including some high notes.

It is a great song to practice high notes, too, as the song goes up to the high D note.

16. Havana – Camila Cabello

“Havana” by Camila Cabello is a wonderful song for beginner trumpet players as it has repetitive partitions with eighth notes and a relatively high tempo. It is a great song to learn to practice breath control, fast note changes, and rhythmic stops. 

17. Star Wars Theme

The famous Star Wars Theme is one of the most famous trumpet tunes ever, with the triplets and that iconic high note at the end of the phrase. The original tune is played in a higher octave, which can be intense for beginners. So, playing the melody an octave lower is perfect for novice players.

The melody has some tricks, which are explained in the video lesson, like the low G and high G difference. It is an amazing melody to play and also a highly educative one.

18. Old McDonald Had A Farm

Another regular song when learning a new instrument is “Old McDonald Had A Farm.” The famous melody is pretty easy to play with only a few notes, a moderate tempo, and a repetitions.

You can play with the notes after every verse or chorus repetition to create small nuances, like adding two eighth notes at the beginning of the phrases instead of a singular quarter note. This way, you can boost your creativity and have more control over your instrument.

19. Jurassic Park Theme

The Jurassic Park Theme song offers amazing partitions for beginner trumpetists with its various rhythmic patterns, repetitive phrases, narrow note range, and moderate tempo. The melody ranges between high C and low B flat notes, which is quite a comfortable range for beginner trumpetists.

The challenge with the tune may be the rhythmic aspect, as the melody has some syncopations and various notes with different duration. But listen to it carefully and take it slow, and you will get the hang of it in no time.

20. Stand By Me – Ben E. King

The famous romantic tune “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King is another great song to play the vocal parts with a trumpet. The slow tempo and basic notes make the tune beginner-friendly. The partitions have easy notes to play, and the rhythmic aspect is great for controlling your breath.

The only note is that the first repetition of the chorus is played with a higher octave which can be difficult for some beginners. In that case, you can basically play it with an octave down.

Conclusion

The trumpet is an amazing-sounding instrument, which can be quite difficult to learn and master. But, keeping the motivation up by playing some famous songs is a great idea. These songs not only satisfy you with your work so far, but they also challenge you to learn new techniques and practice some you already know. 

So, just grab your instrument and start playing some of these amazing songs to have fun and improve your skills.

Berk Oztuna

Berk Oztuna

Berk Öztuna is a handpan player, percussionist, and guitarist. He has been playing multiple instruments over the last 10 years. He started his music career as a guitarist, playing with several bands before putting his main focus into playing the handpan.

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