{"id":9499,"date":"2022-11-18T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=9499"},"modified":"2023-10-19T14:25:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T21:25:59","slug":"3-easy-classical-pieces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/3-easy-classical-pieces\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Easy Classical Piano Pieces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Some of the most iconic classical pieces are easier than they look! In this three-part tutorial, we&#8217;ll teach you how to play Beethoven&#8217;s &#8220;Moonlight&#8221; Sonata, Pachelbel&#8217;s &#8220;Canon in D,&#8221; and Bach&#8217;s &#8220;Prelude in C Major.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Download the <strong>free<\/strong> sheet music first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/3%20Classical%20Pieces%20To%20Make%20You%20Sounds%20LIke%20A%20Pro\/Canon%20in%20D.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Canon in D&#8221; sheet music<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/3%20Classical%20Pieces%20To%20Make%20You%20Sounds%20LIke%20A%20Pro\/Moonlight%20Sonata.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Moonlight&#8221; Sonata sheet music<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/3%20Classical%20Pieces%20To%20Make%20You%20Sounds%20LIke%20A%20Pro\/Prelude%20I%20in%20C%20major.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Prelude in C Major&#8221; sheet music<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, let&#8217;s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Get a Head Start on Classical Piano \u2728<\/b><\/h2><\/center><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Beginner%27s%20Guide%20to%20Classical\/victoria%20theodore%20beginner%20classical%20guide.jpg\"><p>Love classical music but not sure where to start? Head over to <b>Classical Piano Quick Start<\/b>, four free lessons designed for beginners taught by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/victoria-theodore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Victoria Theodore<\/a>. Victoria is a classically trained pianist with degrees from Oberlin College and Stanford University, and has played with Beyonc\u00e9 and Stevie Wonder. Start your classical journey with Victoria today!<\/p><br><center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/classical-piano\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GET 4 FREE CLASSICAL LESSONS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>#1. Johann Pachelbel &#8211; &#8220;Canon in D&#8221;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/3%20Classical%20Pieces%20To%20Make%20You%20Sounds%20LIke%20A%20Pro\/Canon%20in%20D.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOWNLOAD CANON IN D SHEET MUSIC<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve attended a wedding, you&#8217;ve probably heard &#8220;Canon in D.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>It&#8217;s an iconic song, and it begins with an easy chord progression before building into more complex eighth and sixteenth notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hitting all those fast notes will take time, but it&#8217;s okay to stumble around in the beginning! Once you build some muscle memory, you&#8217;ll have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/faster-fingers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faster fingers<\/a> in no time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/3%20Classical%20Pieces%20To%20Make%20You%20Sounds%20LIke%20A%20Pro\/canon%20in%20d.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the &#8220;fast part&#8221; of the song is similar to the D major scale, a useful warm-up might be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-practice-piano-scales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">practicing your D major scale!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83d\udd25\ud83c\udfb9<b><i> HOT TIP!<\/i><\/b> Did you know that virtually all pop music descends from the iconic chord progression in &#8220;Canon in D&#8221;? Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/pop-vs-classical-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">why you secretly love classical music<\/a>.<\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>#2. Ludwig van Beethoven &#8211; &#8220;Moonlight&#8221; Sonata (Easy 1st Mvt.)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/3%20Classical%20Pieces%20To%20Make%20You%20Sounds%20LIke%20A%20Pro\/Moonlight%20Sonata.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOWNLOAD &#8220;MOONLIGHT&#8221; SONATA SHEET MUSIC<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:132%;position:relative;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/1zjuVaZtOzaxlEaBBW\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" style=\"position:absolute\" frameborder=\"0\" class=\"giphy-embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/art-gif-illustrated-dark-forest-1zjuVaZtOzaxlEaBBW\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>The &#8220;Moonlight&#8221; Sonata was one of my favorite songs to play as a teenager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What can I say? It helped me feel my feelings \ud83e\udd7a<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sheet music to &#8220;Moonlight Sonata&#8221; may seem daunting (<em>four sharps?? wha?!<\/em>) but if you look at it the piece like a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/chord-hacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chords<\/a>, it&#8217;s more approachable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The slow tempo of this movement makes it beginner-friendly too. You can play slowly and still sound pro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there&#8217;s opportunity to get DRAMATIC. Use your pedal and experiment with a heavier left hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><b><i>\ud83e\udde0 Food for thought!<\/i><\/b> Beethoven never named this piece &#8220;Moonlight.&#8221; He just called it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicfm.com\/composers\/beethoven\/music\/moonlight-sonata-no-14-c-sharp-mi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Piano Sonata No. 14<\/a>. Beethoven also broke convention by starting his sonata with a sloooow movement. Back in his day, a fast movement typically came first.<\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"prelude\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>#3. Johann Sebastian Bach &#8211; &#8220;Prelude No. 1 in C Major&#8221;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/3%20Classical%20Pieces%20To%20Make%20You%20Sounds%20LIke%20A%20Pro\/Prelude%20I%20in%20C%20major.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOWNLOAD &#8220;PRELUDE NO. 1 IN C MAJOR&#8221; SHEET MUSIC<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>Bach&#8217;s Prelude No. 1 in C Major also has scary-looking sheet music. But when you put it into the language of chords, it&#8217;s beginner-friendly and sounds ethereal \u2601\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my tutorial, I&#8217;ll break down the simple chords that make up this song. You&#8217;ll recognize several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/chord-hacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">beginner chords<\/a> here, including a Dmin7 chord!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isn&#8217;t it neat that composers have been using the same handful of chords for centuries? As a pop music lover, I love seeing everything connect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like the &#8220;Moonlight&#8221; Sonata, Bach&#8217;s Prelude sounds nice even when played at a slow pace. It&#8217;s a heavenly piece and one of my favorites \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20151228\/Johann_Sebastian_Bach.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of JS Bach\" class=\"wp-image-3268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/app\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20151228\/Johann_Sebastian_Bach.jpg 480w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/app\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20151228\/Johann_Sebastian_Bach-244x300.jpg 244w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Bach man himself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83d\udcdc <b><i>History Bite:<\/i><\/b> The Prelude No. 1 in. C Major comes from <i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/The-Well-Tempered-Clavier-BWV-846-893\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Well-Tempered Clavier<\/a><\/i>, Bach&#8217;s seminal work for the keyboard. This two-book volume contains two preludes and two fugues in all 12 major and minor keys, 48 pieces in all. Whew\u2014that&#8217;s a lot of preludes and fugues!<\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn 3 easy classical piano pieces that sound pro: 1. Canon in D 2. Moonlight Sonata 3. Prelude in C Major<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[837,508],"tags":[1089],"class_list":["post-9499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classical-songs","category-song-tutorials","tag-cpqs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9499"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15656,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9499\/revisions\/15656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}