Notalo › Piano songs with letters › Canon in D
Canon in D — piano notes with letters
The first violin entry of Pachelbel’s Canon over the famous eight-note ground bass, simplified for one player. D major has two sharps: every F and every C are sharp.
Johann Pachelbel, c. 1680 · D major · 4/4 · public domain · arranged and labeled by Notalo
Hear it. A MIDI file of exactly these notes at 66 BPM — open it in any music app, or slow it down to practice.
Download MIDIAbout the song
Johann Pachelbel wrote his Canon and Gigue for three violins and continuo in Germany around 1680–1700, and then the piece was forgotten for two centuries. A 1968 recording by Jean-François Paillard made it famous, and it has been at weddings ever since. The bass plays the same eight-chord pattern (D A Bm F♯m G D G A) fifty-four times while the violins enter one after another with the same melody — that is what 'canon' means.
How to play it, phrase by phrase
This is the first violin's first entry over the famous bass. Bar 1 steps down F♯ E D C♯, bar 2 B A B C♯, bars 3–4 continue down D C♯ B A, G F♯ G E — a long descending scale broken into pairs. Bars 5–8 are the second phrase, mostly in thirds: D F♯ A G, F♯ D F♯ E, D B D A, G B A G, ending on F♯. The key is D major, so every F and C is sharp. Play it slowly and evenly; the piece is all about calm.
Letter notes, bar by bar (right hand)
Read left to right; a | is a bar line. Chord symbols are for the left hand or a guitar.
| Bar | Chord | Right-hand letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dmaj7 | F♯ E D C♯ |
| 2 | B7 | B A B C♯ |
| 3 | G | D C♯ B A |
| 4 | A7 | G F♯ G E |
| 5 | D | D F♯ A G |
| 6 | Bm | F♯ D F♯ E |
| 7 | G | D B D A |
| 8 | A7 | G B A G |
| 9 | D | F♯ |
Three things to watch
- The left hand plays the same eight bass notes forever: D A B F♯ G D G A. Learn it first, with eyes closed.
- The right hand mostly steps down; the only tricky bar is 7 (D B D A).
- Keep it slow — 66 BPM — and let the bass line lead.
Have a different version, or a different song? Upload your own sheet music — a photo or PDF — and Notalo writes the letters under every note the same way, plus chords and a MIDI file.
Add letters to my sheet musicMore songs with letters
Jingle Bells · Silent Night · We Wish You a Merry Christmas · Deck the Halls · Happy Birthday · Für Elise · Twinkle Twinkle Little Star · Ode to Joy · Amazing Grace · Moonlight Sonata (1st movement, easy) · Minuet in G · Greensleeves · Mary Had a Little Lamb · Old MacDonald Had a Farm · Chopsticks · Joy to the World · The First Noel · Auld Lang Syne · O Holy Night · The Twelve Days of Christmas · Ave Maria (Schubert, easy) · Eine kleine Nachtmusik (opening) · God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen · In the Hall of the Mountain King · Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9 No. 2 (easy) · O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum) · The Star-Spangled Banner · Spring (The Four Seasons, opening) · Wedding March (Mendelssohn) · Hark! The Herald Angels Sing · London Bridge Is Falling Down · Yankee Doodle · Itsy Bitsy Spider · Scarborough Fair · The Blue Danube (waltz theme) · Symphony No. 5 (opening motif) · Prelude in C major, BWV 846 · Morning Mood (Peer Gynt)
New to the staff? Start with how to read sheet music.
Frequently asked questions
Is this sheet music free to print and use?
Yes. Canon in D is in the public domain and this arrangement was written and rendered by Notalo. Print it, share it, use it in lessons.
What do the colors mean?
Red letters are the right hand (treble clef), blue letters are the left hand (bass clef), green is the chord for the bar. This is the same output Notalo gives for any sheet music you upload.
Can I get it with Do Re Mi or numbers instead of letters?
Yes — download the image above, upload it to Notalo, and pick solfège (Do Re Mi), German letters, or numbers (1 2 3) as the label style.