Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Ode To Joy: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Ludwig van Beethoven

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 128 BPM
  • Easy
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Left hand Wobbling tick-tockRight hand Soft chordsChords 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 Ode To Joy without reading music. The left hand plays wobbling tick-tock (broken chord 8-7) and the right hand soft chords.

The main tune of Ode To Joy 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
Em7 → D
RE3 D3 D3
LE2 D2 D2
Bar 2
Em → D
RE3 F#3 D3
LE2 F#2 D2
Bar 3
Em → D
RE3 F#3 G3 F#3 D3
LE2 F#2 G2 F#2 D2
Bar 4
Em → F#m7
RE3 F#3 G3 F#3 E3
LE2 F#2 G2 F#2 E2

Ode To Joy accompaniment in letter notes

The Em7 – D – Em – D – Em – D – Em – F#m7 loop with wobbling tick-tock in the left hand and soft chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em7 → D
RB4+E5+G5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LE3 D3 D3 C#3
Bar 2
Em → D
RB4+E5+G5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LE3 D3 D3 C#3
Bar 3
Em → D
RB4+E5+G5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LE3 D3 D3 C#3
Bar 4
Em → F#m7
RB4+E5+G5 E4 F#4 A4 C#5 E5 F#5 A5 C#6
LE3 D3 F#3 E3
Bar 5
Em7 → D
RB4+E5+G5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LE3 D3 D3 C#3
Bar 6
Em → D
RB4+E5+G5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LE3 D3 D3 C#3
Bar 7
Em → D
RB4+E5+G5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LE3 D3 D3 C#3
Bar 8
Em → F#m7
RB4+E5+G5 C#5+F#5+A5 C#5+F#5+A5
LE3 D3 F#3 E3

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 Ode To Joy

What are the letter notes for the Ode To Joy 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 Em7 – D – Em – D – Em – D – Em – F#m7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Ode To Joy?

The loop is Em7 – D – Em – D – Em – D – Em – F#m7 (ii7 – I – ii – I – ii – I – ii – iii7) in D major, and the song ends on D – A7 – D.

What key is Ode To Joy in?

D major, at about 128 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Ode To Joy?

Wobbling tick-tock: broken chord 8-7, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Ode To Joy easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Ode To Joy?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.