Canon In D Sheet Piano
Agalia Valcin
I have produced an arrangement of the Canon in D for piano which you can download/print off and have also put together a brief analysis of the work to help inform your learning and performance of the piece.
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 (minims) 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 (crotchets).
The opening bars are simple, but as the piece progresses to increasingly complex sixteenth notes (semiquaver patterns) it becomes quite challenging and will be a satisfying task for more experiences players to tackle.
It is impossible to transcribe this aspect of the Canon in D major onto a piano arrangement without making the piece extremely difficult and so I have simply taken one line of melody for most of the right hand part. You could achieve the canon of the 3 violins to varying degrees of success in an organ arrangement as the pedals would play the bass part leaving 2 hands free to play the other parts.
There are literally hundreds of different performances and arrangements of the Canon in D that you will be able to find to have a look/listen to.
Here are just a couple of examples to inspire you.
This is what creates the canon aspect of the piece: when the same melody is repeated shortly after it is played by another instrument while remaining layered on top of each other. If done right, as in Canon in D, this sounds absolutely stunning!
We could simply learn all of these melodies note for note on the piano and then try to limit ourselves to creating that feeling and texture in the same exact way as Pachelbel. However instead, you can create the same idea and feeling in a much more easy and unique way by selecting a few favorite melodies and using musical techniques and patterns to create new layers, texture, and development as you go.
That formula is especially useful on a solo instrument such as the piano, where it may be difficult to continue a true canon through each new melody. As a piano performer at weddings, sometimes this is required since I often have no idea how long it will take exactly for the wedding party to walk down the aisle. It usually requires improvising to make it work just right.
You will probably notice that as the note values get faster and faster, the energy also increases. Since each of these melodies seems to contain one primary note value, we can think of it as a pulse. The first contains a half note pulse, the second a quarter note pulse, and the third a 16th note pulse. As the pulse speed increases, so does the energy.
There are many ways to add embellishments to a melody. One of the easiest and most common is to simply add harmony! To do that you can simply add more notes of the current chord underneath the melody in some way.
To do this, you can repeat the chord progression as many times as you like using each melody as you please. However, on each repeat think of simple ways you can change and develop the music. Think of ways you can take the energy level up or down.
I encourage you to play through each example and really get a sense of it internally. Afterward, try to make it your own by mixing and matching different patterns, altering them, or even adding new ones in the right or left hand.
If you want a much deeper dive into Canon in D and learn many more beautiful possibilities for both the right and left hand to take your playing to a new level, as well as accompaniment and improvisational techniques for Canon in D, then check out our full course Pachelbel Canon in D (Beginner/Intermediate, Intermediate/Advanced).
Courses are comprised of lessons and are based on selected styles of music and learning focus topics. PWJ offers regular courses, workshops which include teacher interaction, and challenges which are divided into a 4 week learning format.
Smartsheets use the Soundslice sheet music player to give students digital access to all arrangements and lesson sheet music. Smartsheets provide audio playback, light-up key notation, transposition, looping, and other learning tools.
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 Youtube 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 (or Descant), Alto, Tenor and Bass Recorders. All of these versions include score and parts, and audio files.
Summary module description:
This module builds on ED2SM1: Subject Specialism 2 and enables students to develop their musicianship skills through contextual study of chosen musical styles and genres, and develop a portfolio of classroom resources and training materials analysing one example of a significant work or movement from a longer work from the Western Classical canon.
Outline content:
This module builds on the skills developed in ED2SM1. Students will investigate a selected piece in music history lasting between 30-40 minutes, and present a multi-media resource drawing together historical research, music analysis, listening examples and creative responses to the chosen focus and how this could be presented to KS2 children in the classroom. Students will produce in addition an annotated and critiqued bibliography of resources, including online and digital media.
Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Group workshops on the effective use of digital media, seminars and lectures on music history and analysis, independent study on guided tasks.
Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:
Student will present a 15 minute Lecture on their chosen work showing an ability to analyse the music in detail, relate the work to its historical and social context, and explain how this could be presented appropriately to KS2 children, and produce some resources that could be shared with colleagues to allow them to teach the topic. The written resource will be approximately 1500 words, and the annotated bibliography and critique should include between 10-12 references.
Penalties for late submission:
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:
- where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
- where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.
Additional Costs (specified where applicable):
1) Required text books: All required texts are available in the Library.
ROBINSON, J. (2005) Deeper than reason: emotion and its role in literature, music, and art. [electronic resource] Oxford: Clarendon.
GROAK, J (2013) Canon Vs. Culture: Reflections on the Current Debate [electronic resource]. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
2) Specialist equipment or materials: Students supply their own musical instruments, other than piano, organ and orchestral percussion. Students insure their instruments. Students may also supply additional sheet music, costs will vary depending on the needs of their instrument.
3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: No specific clothing is required for this module.
4) Printing and binding: Occasional printing of materials, although photocopies of materials will be provided in the teaching sessions. Students will need to provide a printed copy of their assessment.
5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: Music technology software and hardware is made available for student use.
6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: No specific costs for additional travel and subsistence for this module.