September is International Piano Month, and while you all know I’ll always say drums are unmatched for driving a cycling class, the piano brings something the drums just can’t. It can carry a whole song by itself or just sit quietly in the background, and either way it changes how a track feels in your body. One minute it’s building tension key by key, the next it’s crashing into a chorus with everything it’s got, and then it can turn around and soften a room down to almost nothing. That kind of range is hard to find in a single instrument.
That’s really what makes piano music so useful in the studio. The same song can work as a gentle warm-up, a driving climb, or a cool-down that wrings out the last bit of emotion in the room. It’s worth pulling piano tracks into your rotation all year, not just in September.
And just like all our other instrument-driven playlists, we’ve got a bucket playlist for piano too. It’s up to 335 songs now, and it keeps growing every time I stumble on another great one for the studio. ICA members can find the full bucket playlist at the end of this post.
PROFILE: Pedaling to the Piano: Sweet-Spot Cruise Intervals
Of course, I have to start with my Pedaling to the Piano profile. This one uses the piano as the musical foundation for a series of sustained sweet-spot intervals that mirror the steady, flowing feel of the piano itself.Â
It’s a great example of how a musical theme can become more than just a playlist idea. You can build an entire workout around the character of the music while still delivering a purposeful training stimulus. Smooth power, smooth sound.Â
A Few of Our Favorite Piano Songs for the Studio
School, Supertramp, 5:35, 92 bpm
This is a great fast flat, a sustained moderate to hard effort with cadence up around 92 rpm. The piano on this one is amazing. And since it’s basically a back-to-school anthem, it works for both themes at once this September.
Uncertain Smile, The The, 6:49, 143 bpm
Wait for the piano solo on this one; it’ll make you smile too. It kicks in around 3:25 and just keeps going for several minutes. Start this song as a gentle climb so you have room to let it build as the solo takes over.
Drops of Jupiter, Train, 4:20, 159 bpm
Everyone knows this song, and it settles nicely into a consistent moderate effort at about 80 rpm. Nothing here needs to be pushed hard. Let your riders relax into it and just enjoy the piano and strings.
Morning Has Broken, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, 3:20, 88 bpm
This is your cool-down song. Such a lovely, simple way to close out a hard workout while the piano brings everyone’s heart rate back down.
Don’t Look Back in Anger, Oasis, 4:47, 82 bpm
The piano isn’t loud here, but it’s there from the very first chord and never really leaves. This one makes a great warm-up or endurance track for those spots in a ride where you’re not trying to squeeze out every last bit of effort.
Testify, NEEDTOBREATHE, 4:03, 90 bpm
Another solid warm-up or endurance track, with piano woven through the whole thing as accompaniment. Easy to ride to, easy to like.
Gloria, Lumineers, 3:36, 157 bpm
Use this track for a fast climb or a moderate to hard interval right around threshold, or a notch below in sweet spot. It builds well and rewards riders who stick with it. (Also great for an acoustic guitar ride.)
There are so many more great songs and artists that use piano; we’d be here all day if I tried to list all my favorites. Billy Joel, Elton John, ELO, the Doors, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, Joe Jackson, the Beatles, Joe Cocker, the Goo Goo Dolls, the Cure, Fleetwood Mac, and more.
What’s your favorite song with piano? Share it in the comments so I can add it to the bucket playlist.