Ode to Joy on Piano: Easy Sheet Music

The piano notes for Ode to Joy

Phrase by phrase, as shown beneath each note in the sheet music:

1. E E F G G F E D C C D E E D D
2. E E F G G F E D C C D E D C C
3. D D E C D E F E C D E F E D C D G
4. E E F G G F E D C C D E D C C

How to Play It

• Place your thumb (1) on C. Play E with finger 3, F with 4, G with 5, and D with 2. The whole first phrase fits in this position.
• At the end of phrases 1, 2, and 4, there is a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note (D D, or C C). Count it "one, two, three and four": the second C or D is short and falls right on the "and."
• The third phrase has two eighth notes in a row, E and F. Play them twice as fast as a quarter note, without rushing the other notes.
• The third phrase ends on the low G, below your thumb's starting position. Move your hand to the left and play that G with finger 1, then return to the starting position for the fourth phrase.
• Start with the metronome at 70 quarter notes per minute. If changing hand positions is difficult, play just the third phrase several times before putting it together with the others.

The left hand

You only need two chords: C major (C) and G major (G). Change chords where the symbols above the score indicate, and play each chord gently at the start of the measure. To learn the change between them, practice it slowly without the melody several times in a row.

Chords in this score: C, G.

About the Piece

The melody is the theme from the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, completed in 1824, based on Friedrich Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy." Because of its age, it is in the public domain. This version has the right-hand melody in C major, with each note name underneath and the left-hand chords above.

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