This familiar tune composed by Ludwig van Beethoven has a relatively simple melody (only 5 notes). It’s also a good tune for beginner guitarists to learn. Read this related introductory article about this tune for more background information.
‘Ode To Joy’ uses only the first five notes of a Major Scale, also known as the “do re mi” scale. So that would be these notes: do, re, mi, fa, so. The 5th scale note (“so”) appears as both a high sounding “so” and low sounding “so”. So, technically speaking, there are six notes, but the “so” appears in two different places.
In the key of C, that would be notes C, D, E, F and G. The “so” note in key of C is the G note. The play-by-number guitar tablature for ‘Ode To Joy’ in the key of C is below. This arrangement is in first position, which indicates your index finger is playing at fret 1.
I’ve included the chord grids and chord names above the measures. If you already know these chords, you can also learn the accompaniment. If you have a friend who plays guitar or piano, they can accompany you with just three chords (C, F and G).
To view smartphone-friendly chord grids and tablature, keep reading…
Chords used in this song
Melody
This guitar tablature for ‘Ode To Joy’ has the single-note melody in the key of C. This tune is played at the first position (index finger at fret 1).
