Learning piano is about steady improvement, so the flowkey app has a range of arrangements for all difficulty levels, from beginner to intermediate, advanced to pro. For many people, the tricky part can be: what exactly does intermediate mean? What are intermediate piano songs?

We're very specific. Our experts write and categorize the songs in the app to make it easier for you to find the right songs you love at your playing level. Read on to learn how we define intermediate songs, tips on how to make the jump from beginner to intermediate and some examples of our favourite intermediate piano songs in all genres.

Are you ready to play intermediate songs?

Intermediate songs - by our definition - are for people who have already played the piano for at least a few months. Since Intermediate means "between beginner and expert", it makes sense to go into more detail by comparing it to the other levels:

Beginner songs are marked green in the app and they are for players who are just starting out. To make them easier to play, our beginner arrangements have:

• No different rhythms between the right and left hand.
• An easier key, meaning fewer accidentals (black keys).
• Shorter and slower arrangements, often focusing on the most familiar parts of the song (like the chorus).

Intermediate songs are marked in yellow and they have:

• A little more rhythm between right and left hand, still slower.
• More notes at the same time (chords).
• The original key if possible, but still keeping accidentals (black keys) to a minimum.

As you move onto advanced (marked in red), then pro (purple), the difficulty will gradually increase in much the same way. These songs are likely to be faster, have more rhythm between the hands, more notes at the same time, with more sharps or flats.

An example at all difficulty levels - Clair de Lune

We have four arrangements of Debussy's masterpiece Clair de Lune in the app: beginner, intermediate, advanced and pro. If you go into the app you can listen to all four versions.

You'll notice that as the difficulty progresses, the key changes to incorporate more sharps and flats, the number of notes you play at one time increases and the speed changes. In other words, it sounds more and more like the original version you know and love.

How to switch from Beginner to Intermediate songs

Try out different versions. This is the best way to work out your playing level. So if an intermediate song is too tough, then stick with the beginner version for a little while longer. Or if you're not finding the beginner versions challenging anymore, move onto the intermediate version of the same song (like Clair de Lune above).

Use the functions in the app! Start using our Wait Mode functionality, then try it at 50% speed, then speed up to 75% before tackling it at the original tempo. You can also try learning one hand at a time - left only, then right only, before taking on both at the same time.

Some of our most popular intermediate piano songs

In Classical genres, there's more than just Clair de Lune. You can find intermediate versions of music from Baroque pieces like Pachelbel's 'Canon in D’, Beethoven's Classical masterpiece 'Moonlight Sonata' or Romantic music like Grieg's 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'.

We have Film and TV music like the Monty Norman theme from James Bond and the Pink Panther by Henry Mancini. If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli, we also have Joe Hisaishi's stunning music for films like 'Spirited Away' or 'Howl's Moving Castle'.

You can find timeless Jazz and Blues standards like 'Ain't Misbehavin' by Fats Waller or Duke Ellington's 'Sophisticated Lady', or a range of legendary Rock and Pop from Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'We Are the Champions' to the Beatles' 'Yesterday' and 'Let it Be'.

If you want more of a guilty pleasure, there are intermediate versions of 'Can you Feel the Love Tonight' by Elton John plus a range of ABBA like 'Mamma Mia' and 'The Winner Takes it All'. If you’re a Modern Pop fan, then we keep up to date with arrangements of recent hits from artists like Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and Luis Fonsi.