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Ode to Joy — melody and bass

Bring both hands together: play the complete 16-bar melody with your right hand while the left hand holds one bass note per bar.

Next stepsLudwig van Beethoven · Simplified 16-bar melody with added bass · piano both handsPiano · Both hands · C major · 4/4

60 beats per minute. Changing speed stops playback; press Play to start again.

Source edition typeset by Peter Chubb; melody by Ludwig van Beethoven. The source edition is marked Public Domain by its typesetter. · www.noteplaymusic.com

Try it at the keyboard

  1. Learn the right-hand melody on its own first. It stays on C4 to G4, with your thumb on middle C.
  2. For the bass, place your left little finger on G2 and your thumb on C3. Hold each written bass note for all four beats.
  3. In the middle bridge section (bars 9–12), the left hand anchors on a low G2 pedal while the melody steps above it.

About this score

NotePlayMusic 16-bar adaptation of the complete main theme: transposed from G major to C major, kept within C4–G4, and paired with a C/G whole-note bass exercise for two-hand coordination.

Source edition typeset by Peter Chubb; melody by Ludwig van Beethoven. The source edition is marked Public Domain by its typesetter.

Source notation · Source score & rights notice