Ode to Joy – Ludwig van Beethoven

About this piece

Ode to Joy is the main theme of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, first performed in Vienna in 1824. In the symphony the choir sings Friedrich Schiller's poem An die Freude, and the tune was later adopted as the anthem of Europe. Its mostly stepwise shape makes it one of the most popular first pieces for new pianists.

This version runs for about one minute in 4/4 time at 96 beats per minute. The melody covers the octave from G3 to G4 and is shared between the hands at middle C: notes from middle C upward belong to the right hand, while the few notes below it, down to G3, go to the left hand. That makes it a gentle introduction to passing a tune from one hand to the other.

Try Listen mode first to hear how the phrases rise and fall, then switch to Wait mode, where the notes hold until you find each key. Select the right hand alone to learn most of the melody, add the left hand afterwards, and keep the speed around 50–75 % until the hand changes feel natural. Loop any phrase that gives you trouble with A–B, and when you can play it steadily, try Play along at full tempo. The sheet music below the player shows the same melody in standard notation.