Easy To Love (You'd Be So Easy To Love): E-Z Play Today

This standard captures everything that makes Porter special: a melody that seems inevitable once you hear it, harmonic movement that keeps things interesting without overwhelming the player, and lyrics that sit naturally with the music. The E-Z Play arrangement democratizes access to this classic, making it approachable for intermediate pianists who want to sound sophisticated without years of preparation.

Warm, urbane, and graceful. The melody unfolds with the ease of someone casually confessing something sincere. There's a wink in the orchestration and a genuine tenderness underneath; playing it feels like having a conversation with someone witty who actually means what they're saying.

Intermediate pianists seeking accessible entry into the jazz standards repertoire, or anyone preparing a recital program that calls for a sophisticated show tune without complex voicings. It works equally well as a solo piece, as an accompanying vehicle for a vocalist, or as a teacher's model for exploring Porter's harmonic language in a two-page format.

• Attend to the lyrical quality of the melody line. Treat each phrase as a vocalist would, with clear phrasing and intentional breath points even though you're playing piano.
• Let the harmony breathe. Porter's chord changes are elegant precisely because they move at a measured pace; resist the urge to rush through passages just because the notation is simple.
• Balance clarity in the accompaniment with forward motion. Keep left-hand figures light enough that the melody never gets buried, but regular enough to establish a relaxed, conversational groove.
• Explore dynamic shaping across eight-bar sections rather than pushing dynamics within individual measures. This keeps the shape of the song audible and prevents it from feeling choppy.

Pair this with other Cole Porter standards to build a set that showcases the breadth of his songwriting, or position it in a broader jazz standards program to represent the Broadway-to-jazz crossover repertoire. It also serves as an excellent showcase piece for a student recital, offering musical substance in a format that doesn't demand virtuosic technical demands.

• Voice leading and harmonic progression in popular song forms
• Pedaling for clarity in jazz chord voicings
• Phrasing melody against steady rhythmic accompaniment
• Tempo control and rubato in ballad settings
• Interpretation of standards notation in E-Z Play format