Heartaches By The Number: E-Z Play Today

The E-Z Play arrangement strips this 1959 standard down to its essential melody and harmony, making it accessible for pianists still building fluency while preserving the song's wry emotional core. It's a perfect vehicle for exploring how a strong melody can carry a song, and students will recognize the tune immediately.

Wistful and slightly self-deprecating, the song captures the resigned humor of counting up romantic failures. The melody has a conversational lilt that invites rubato and expressive playing despite its straightforward notation.

Pianists in early intermediate stages who want to explore country and pop standards beyond classical repertoire. This works equally well for students building sight-reading skills or for anyone interested in the American songbook of the 1950s.

• Keep the tempo steady and conversational; this song works best when it feels like someone telling a story rather than racing through it.
• Pay attention to the lyrical phrasing in the melody line, letting natural speech rhythm guide your phrasing even though it's written notation.
• Balance the accompaniment so the right hand melody sings out clearly without the left hand becoming an afterthought.

Include this in a concert exploring American song standards, or pair it with other 1950s hits to create a retrospective program that appeals to general audiences. It also works nicely as a lighter moment in a recital that leans toward classical repertoire.

• Reading lead sheet notation and chord symbols
• Accompanying a melody with simple harmonic progressions
• Shaping phrasing in popular song style
• Balancing melody and accompaniment in two hands