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Canon in D — melody and ground bass

Hear how Pachelbel’s famous ground bass works under the descending melody in an accessible C-major two-hand arrangement.

DevelopingJohann Pachelbel · Melody and ground bass in C major · piano both handsPiano · Both hands · C major · 4/4

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Try it at the keyboard

  1. Learn the left-hand ground bass pattern first (C–G–A–E–F–C–F–G); it repeats identically in bars 1–4 and 5–8.
  2. In bars 1–4, both hands move together every two beats.
  3. In bars 5–8, the right hand plays two crotchets against each left-hand minim.

About this score

Transposed from D major to C major, pairing the iconic eight-note ground bass with the opening melody and crotchet variation.

Composed by Johann Pachelbel (c. 1680); source edition by Mutopia Project. Public domain composition and source edition. Teaching arrangement by NotePlayMusic.

Source notation · Source score & rights notice