About Canon In D By Pachelbel:
“Canon in D” is probably the most famous and popular music work that the German composer, Johann Pachelbel from the baroque era wrote. Initially, he wrote it for a small string ensemble. Since the 1960’s the arrangement of “Canon in D” for a chamber orchestra has been commonly heard and used. “Canon in D” has been very popular on several occasions such as Christmas and wedding. It is called “Canon in D” or “Canon in D Major” because he wrote it in the key of D Major. To learn more about “Canon and Gigue in D” by Pachelbel, please visit, our page, “About Canon and Gigue in D by Pachelbel.”
The Notes Of The Left Hand
Did you manage to find the note D? Great!
Now we can continue with the rest of the sequence. Play the following notes one after the other with your left hand:
D A B F# G D G A D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D F# A D A C# E A B D F# B F# A C# F# G B D G D A D F# G D G A C# E D A B F# G D G A D D A A B B F# F# G D D D G G A A D A B F# G D G A D.
Canon In D On Piano: Finding Your Way Around The Keyboard
Before playing the Canon in D, we will first review the basics of piano playing by discussing the names of the notes on a piano keyboard. If you already know this part, we recommend that you go directly to the next part .
Start by looking at the diagram below:
The name of the notes on a piano keyboard.
The picture above shows the correspondence, for each key on a piano keyboard, with the name of a note .
To find your way around the keyboard more easily, you can use the black keys. Indeed, if you look at the picture, you will see that the black keys work in groups of two and three that follow one another. This alternation makes it easier for you to find your way around the keyboard.
For example, if you are looking for the note A, you first have to look at the groups of three black keys . Once you have identified a group of three, press the white key between the second and third black keys in that group: this is your A note.
Practice quickly identifying notes on the piano keyboard. This way, you will be able to follow this tutorial article to learn Pachelbels Canon in D on the piano much easier.
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Pachelbel Canon In D Piano Version
I have kept this arrangement of the canon in D major for piano quite simple so that piano players of varying levels of ability can all enjoy learning it. I have scored it with the opening bass notes played as half notes as this makes it easier for piano players to read the later rhythms. Note that the original version notates the opening notes as quarter notes . The opening bars are simple, but as the piece progresses to increasingly complex sixteenth notes it becomes quite challenging and will be a satisfying task for more experiences players to tackle.
When learning to perform the Canon in D major on the piano it is very useful to have an understanding of how Johann Pachelbel constructed the piece so that you can use this to inform your playing.
Canon In D Piano Notes: Tutorial & Free Sheet Music

Would you like to learn Canon in D on the piano? Thats exactly the objective of this article!
Composed by Johann Pachelbel around 1680, this work is composed of two movements: a canon and a gigue, for three violins and continuo. It is one of the most popular pieces of music by Johann Pachelbel.
Traditionally played at wedding marches, this music has been used by the greatest composers in some of their works, such as Mozart in a passage from his Magic Flute.
Today, the Canon is considered one of the most popular piano pieces. It is played by many pianists who love Pachelbels works.
In this article, the goal is to make you learn Canon in D on the piano in an easy version. You will learn to play the notes of the right hand, then those of the left hand. Each part is accompanied by a tutorial video that shows you the notes to play in an interactive way. Thanks to these videos, you will have a visual support to deepen your learning.
At the end of the article, you will also find the piano sheet music of Canon in D for free download.
Ready to learn? Lets get started!
Bonus: you can also learn to play this song at your own pace on our interactive piano learning application La Touche Musicale.
Bonus : you can also learn to play this song at your own pace on our interactive piano learning app La Touche Musicale.
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The Notes Of The Right Hand
Did you find the Fa # note? Perfect.
Now we are going to play all the notes that make up the melody of the song. Press the following notes in succession:
F # E D C B A B C # D + F # C # + E B + D A + C # G + B F # + A G + B E + C # D F # A G F # D F # E D B D A G B A G F # D A G F # D F # E + A D + B G F # A G B D G C # D C # D E A C # F # D F # A F # A B G F # E G F # E D C # B A G F # E G F # E D E F # D C # E A G F # D C # B C # G A B G F # E G F # E D C # B A G B A B A G F # F # E E D D C # C # B B A A B B C # C # F # + D D + F # C # + E B + D D + F # D + B A D B G C # A A F # G A F # G A A B C # D E F # G F # D E F # F # G A B A G A F # G A G B A G F # E F # E D E F # G A B G B A B C # D A B C # D E F # G A D + F # C # + E B + D A + C # G + B F + A G + B A + C # F # + D A + C # F # + B F # + A D + G D + F # B + D A + C # F + A + D.
Play all of these notes in a row and you will have the melody of Pachelbels Canon in D on the piano, performed with the right hand.
Canon in D on piano: the notes of the right hand.
Canon And Gigue In D Major P37
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1680 ca. |
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For 4 Flutes
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Canon
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Canon In D Sheet Musica Fancy Arrangement For Early Note
Canon in D sheet music is a very popular piece, even with young piano students.
This arrangement takes young students farther than is possible with my other Canon in D music sheet arrangements, with easy-to-read note-heads.
Can even beginning note-readers learn to play this beautiful music in its longer, fuller form? I decided to see…
I have a little guy who plays with passion, understands chords, and loves classical music, but who relies on his ear and his quick memory to conquer his music more than I would like! He is an Artful NOTE-Dodger.
He is long past the super-easy Canon in D sheet music, but he wanted to play a version with the quickly-moving notes of the middle section, the familiar part that even non-musicians recognize.
I decided to help him, if he promised that he would use the fingering I demanded.
He promised. This is the result :
This arrangement, plus two companion arrangements, is for sale — $5.00 USD for three easy-to-read arrangements of the Pachelbel Canon, with the right to print UNLIMITED COPIES .
I’m excited for you to see the confidence with which your young students will embark on a long and beautiful piece like this with the note names to confirm or correct what their ears may be telling them!
With a little extra help, they can be playing this song – CORRECTLY – long before they would ever meet it in their method books. I’ve watched it happen over and over.
When you buy this music, you will receive 3 versions , each 3 pages long.
Canon In D Free Piano Sheet Music
This piece was written by Johann Pachelbel and like many other pieces fromthe Baroque and Classic period it was not as famous as it is today.Actually wasn’t famous at all.
Only in 1919 was the Canon in D first published and quickly becameone of the most famous classical compositions ever.It is often played at weddings and during other ceremonies, and you can hardly findanyone who hasn’t heard it before.
Many pop songs are based on the chord progression of the Canon in D one of themis “Go West” by the Village People..
We have arranged the this piece for piano in two versions the first one is easier than the second one.
Click here if you haven’t signed toPiano Playground, our free E-zineyet make sure you do that in order to get the username and password codes for the the Piano SheetsI provide here under. |
Here’s a free piano sheet the Canon for advanced players.
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Now, for the ones of you who are interested… What is a canon, and why is this piece called so?A canon is the type of composition in which several voices play the same music, one following the other.
The piece includes 3 different voices which play the same music in a delay of 2 bars.It is written in D major scale and therefore it is called – Canon in D.
Here is how the canon is implemented:
,and check it out to see if the three violins play exactly the same melody for the whole piece.If you have found any exception, please let us know…
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Take A Sneak Peek Of Our Lesson
Johann Pachelbel was a composer from the Baroque period of classical music, who lived from 1653-1706. He wrote many pieces but none have achieved the type of international fame as his Canon in D.
This seemingly simple wedding march has an iconic bass-line and chord progression that has been repurposed into hundreds of contemporary pop songs, even famously in a 2020 hit by Maroon 5, Memories.
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Johann Pachelbel : Canon In D
Pachelbel’s Canon is a very famous work which you will hear in various places, either in its original form or in various arrangements. It is very popular at Weddings and the melody, bass or chord sequence have been borrowed for songs, e.g. the melody in Coolio’s “C U When U Get There” and the chords in “All Together Now” by The Farm, while “Memories” by Maroon 5 uses the chords and a small fragment of melody. This video on shows those Pop Song connections in more detail. The original piece is part of Pachelbel’s “Canon and Gigue in D” for 3 violins and Basso Continuo. This piano arrangement is a shortened and simplified version of the “Canon” part of this work, and below you will see the sheet music and a video of this piece. And here is an alternative video showing a piano roll animation of Pachelbel’s Canon. On mfiles we also have the original version, an arrangement for violin and piano, andan arrangementfor four SATB recorders meaning Soprano , Alto, Tenor and Bass Recorders. All of these versions include score and parts, and audio files.