Ode to Joy

About this piece

Beethoven’s famous tune, with a bass note under it, the way classical guitarists play two parts at once. The thumb (p) plays the low notes on the 5th and 6th strings and lets them ring; the index and middle fingers (i and m) take turns on the tune, on the top three strings. Learn the tune alone first, then add the bass notes on beat 1 (and beat 3 when the chord changes).

What it practices

• tune and bass together
• thumb on the bass strings
• first position
• a dotted rhythm

Chords in this song

C · G

Each link opens the chord finder with more ways to play that chord.

Where the notes come from

Melody and bass as in our piano version of Ode to Joy, whose melody was checked note by note against the Mutopia Project’s “Ode to Joy” hymn setting (public domain); the bass follows that setting’s chords, with the G moved down an octave to the guitar’s 6th string. Our checking script compares the two melodies beat by beat.

How to practice with it

1. Listen first. Press Play and follow along. The note being played lights up in the tab, in the notation and on the fretboard, and the chord being played lights up in the row of chord diagrams.
2. Learn the chords. Press each diagram to hear it, then practice changing between them slowly.
3. Slow it down. Use − and + to set the tempo. 60% is a good place to start; the notes keep their pitch.
4. Loop the hard part. Under More…, turn on Loop, pick the bars, and play them a few times in a row. Count-in gives you a bar of clicks before it starts.

Click a bar in the music to start from there. Space plays and pauses. Left-handed? Turn on the left-handed view: the chord diagrams and the fretboard are mirrored to match your instrument. Tab reads the same either way: the top line is always the first (highest) string.