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Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Moonlight Sonata: piano accompaniment sheet music

By Ludwig van Beethoven

  • C# minor
  • 2/2
  • 56 BPM
  • Medium
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Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Rising bubblesChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

Moonlight Sonata written out as piano music: the i – V – i – iv – i7 – VII loop in C# minor for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand rising bubbles.

Moonlight Sonata chord chart

The loop once round, bar by bar, in C# minor. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.

BarChordNumeralNotes
1C#miC# E G#
2G#VG# B# D#
3C#miC# E G#
3F#mivF# A C#
4C#m7i7C# E G# B
4BVIIB D# F#

What the sheet music shows

The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: jazz walk (walking bass) in the left hand and rising bubbles in the right, over the C#m – G# – C#m – F#m – C#m7 – B chords.

Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.

To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.

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Questions about Moonlight Sonata

Does the sheet music for Moonlight Sonata have finger numbers?

Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.

What chords are in Moonlight Sonata?

The loop is C#m – G# – C#m – F#m – C#m7 – B (i – V – i – iv – i7 – VII) in C# minor, and the song ends on A – B – C#m.

What key is Moonlight Sonata in?

C# minor, at about 56 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Moonlight Sonata?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Moonlight Sonata easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Moonlight Sonata?

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

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.