Songs · Beginner
Ode to Joy
Ludwig van Beethoven · Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (1824), last movement: the main theme
C major4/4 time16 barsboth hands
Arranged: Teddy Rook Book: the theme in C, with a simple left hand. The notes here are not exactly the ones the composer wrote.
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About this piece
Beethoven wrote this tune for the last movement of his Ninth Symphony. It mostly moves by step and stays in C position. In bars 4, 8 and 16, hold the dotted quarter note a little longer and play the short note right after it. In bar 12 your thumb drops down to the G below middle C, then comes back.
What it practices
- hands together
- C position
- dotted quarter notes
- one small move of the thumb
Where the notes come from
Melody checked note by note against the Mutopia Project’s “Ode to Joy” hymn setting (SATB, public domain), moved from G down to C. The left hand is our own and follows that setting’s chords.
How to practice with it
- Listen first. Press Play and follow the moving line with your eyes. The lit notes and keys show what sounds right now: blue is the right hand, orange the left.
- Slow it down. Use − and + to set the tempo. 60% is a good place to start.
- One hand at a time. Choose Right or Left, learn that hand, then put them together.
- Wait for me. Turn it on and press Start. The lit keys show what to play, and the music waits until you play them, on the screen, on your computer keyboard or on a MIDI keyboard.
- Loop the hard part. Turn on Loop, pick the bars, and play them a few times in a row.
Click a bar in the music to start from there. Space plays and pauses. The computer keys A S D F G H J K play C D E F G A B C (press ⌨ Computer keys under the music to see them on the piano).