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Canon in D — opening melody

Play the serene descending melody of Pachelbel’s Canon, transposed to C major for easy reading.

First notesJohann Pachelbel · Opening eight-chord theme in C major · piano one handPiano · One hand · C major · 4/4

72 beats per minute. Changing speed stops playback; press Play to start again.

Try it at the keyboard

  1. Bars 1–4 walk smoothly down and up in minims (two beats each): E–D–C–B–A–G–A–B.
  2. Bars 5–8 decorate the same harmony in crotchets — keep the pulse steady when the notes move twice as fast.
  3. Connect each note smoothly to the next so the line sounds like a violin melody.

About this score

Transposed from D major to C major so beginners can play the famous descending upper voice and second variation without sharps.

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