Intermediate piece
How to play Canon in D on piano
Written by Johann Pachelbel in the late 1600s for three violins and a bass line. The bass line is a short pattern of eight notes that repeats throughout, which is why piano arrangements can sound so steady.
- Composer
- Johann Pachelbel
- Level
- Intermediate
- Key
- D major
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Hands
- Both hands
What makes it tricky
- The two sharps in the key signature (F sharp and C sharp). Say them before you start.
- Hands together when the right hand plays a running pattern. Slow it down until it is even.
- Staying steady as the pattern gets busier. Count the beats, not the notes.
A three-step practice plan
- Play the left hand alone until the eight-note pattern is automatic.
- Add the right hand for four bars, then eight.
- Aim for a slow, even run, and speed up only when it is steady.