Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Waltz garden

Fur Elise: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Ludwig van Beethoven

  • A minor
  • 3/8
  • 68 BPM
  • Easy
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Left hand Waltz rippleThe right hand sings the tuneChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Fur Elise without reading music. The left hand plays waltz ripple (broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4)), and the right hand sings the tune.

The main tune of Fur Elise in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
E7
RE5 D#5 E5 B4 D5 C5
Lrest
Bar 2
Am
RA4 C4 E4 A4
LA2 E3 A3
Bar 3
E
RB4 E4 G#4 B4
LE2 E3 G#3
Bar 4
Am
RC5 E4 E5 D#5
LA2 E3 A3

Fur Elise accompaniment in letter notes

The E7 – Am – E – Am loop with waltz ripple in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
E7
RE4+G#4+B4
LE2 B2 E3
Bar 2
Am
RA3+C4+E4
LA2 E3 A3
Bar 3
E
RE4+G#4+B4
LE2 B2 E3
Bar 4
Am
RA3+C4+E4 E4 A4 C5 E5 A5 C6 E6 A6
LA2 E3 A3
Bar 5
E7
RE4+G#4+B4
LE2 B2 E3
Bar 6
Am
RA3+C4+E4
LA2 E3 A3
Bar 7
E
RE4+G#4+B4
LE2 B2 E3
Bar 8
Am
RA3+C4+E4
LA2 E3 A3

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about Fur Elise

What are the letter notes for the Fur Elise piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is E7 – Am – E – Am, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Fur Elise?

The loop is E7 – Am – E – Am (V7 – i – V – i) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Fur Elise in?

A minor, at about 68 beats a minute in 3/8.

What does the left hand play in Fur Elise?

Waltz ripple: broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Fur Elise easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Fur Elise?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.