Top 10 Spooky Piano Pieces to Learn for Halloween
Goodbye Summer… Hello Fall! As the temperatures drop and days get shorter, there is something eery in the air… It’s the season of Halloween! Now that the season of jack-0-lanterns and ghosts is here, why not make your Halloween this year musical?
Here are our top 10 piano pieces to jazz up your Halloween festivities! But beware… These pieces may scare you… Play them if you dare.
1. Halloween Theme – John Carpenter
This famous piece was the main theme for the original 1978 slasher film Halloween. The notes in this piece are scarily effective at creating a sense of dread and fear. This piece will definitely have your guests on their tippy toes, watching out for Michael Myers lurking in the shadows with his butcher’s knife.
2. In the Hall of the Mountain King – Edvard Grieg
Imagine you’re in a dark underground world. You can hear the sounds of monstrous trolls and goblins creeping towards you. They’re growing closer and closer, getting louder and more frantic with every step. This is the atmosphere that Edvard Grieg masterfully invokes in this classic piece. Include it in your Halloween playlist and you’ll certainly add suspense and fright to any night.
3. This is Halloween - The Nightmare Before Christmas
A true classic and a must watch during cold and windy winter season, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” remains ever popular for the whole family. “This is Halloween” is a track featured on the “The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack reissue’s bonus disc in October 2006, originally written and performed by Danny Elfman in 1993.
4. Toccata D Minor – Johann S. Bach
I’m sure you all are thinking… What’s so Halloween about Toccata D Minor? Well, don’t be fooled by its name. As soon as you hear the distinctive first trill of Bach’s Toccata in D minor, you’ll definitely be feeling chills down your spine. Choose this piece to create a haunting atmosphere at your next Halloween night!
5. Speckled Spider Rag – Harry French
You cannot have Halloween without some 8 legged crawlers!. This piece mimics a spider skittering across the ground. Perfect for a groovy night! But watch out, don’t let the spiders bite.
6. ️ Funeral March Op.35 – Frédéric Chopin
Piano music doesn’t get more creepy than this iconic Funeral March. SPOOKY FACT: This piece was famously performed at the graveside during Chopin’s own burial. Play this mournful piano piece on Halloween night (if you dare) and see what creatures you might be able to summon from the dead.
7. Will O the Wisp – Will Morrison
Have you heard of the eery will-o’-the-wisp? These beings are defined as an atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. This piece, like its name, creates a mysterious and wispy atmosphere imitating the silent, floating ghosts searching for people to spook. Boo!
8. Symphony No.5 in Cm, Op.67 – Ludwig van Beethoven
Ta ta ta TAAA! Ta ta ta TAAA! All you will recognize the moment you hear this piano piece and know something terrible has happened! These iconic first four notes of Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony will get your guests running! This piano classic is ominous, shadowy, and dramatic: Positively perfect for stirring up some shenanigans on Halloween.
9. The Vampire Waltz – Al B. Coney
This eerie but elegant waltz by Al B. Coney will make your home feel like a haunted castle where vampires rise to dance the night away. But make sure your guests don’t get too carried away by the music – all vampires need to be safely inside their coffins before the sun starts to rise. BEWARE!
10. Moonlight Sonata (1st Movement) – Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven was a master of composing dark and dreamlike tunes, which is why we couldn’t help but include him twice on our Halloween list. With its slowly spiraling chords accompanied by deep sinking bass, the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata never fails to evoke feelings of sadness and longing. It’s the ideal musical accompaniment for a cold and gloomy night.
Happy Halloween!
These spine-tingling piano songs aren’t just made for performing on Halloween. We encourage you to play them throughout October and beyond: They’re perfect for turning an ordinary day or night into something much more supernatural!
