Piano songs · Beginner to intermediate
In the Hall of the Mountain King on piano
In the Hall of the Mountain King creeps up from the bottom of the piano: a sly little tune, repeated again and again, getting louder and faster. Here's the theme, low down, as it begins.
this song
About the piece
Edvard Grieg wrote it in 1875 for Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt: the hero has sneaked into the hall of the troll king, and the trolls are closing in. It later became part of Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, and Grieg arranged the suite for piano.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: B C♯ D E F♯ D F♯; F C♯ F E C E; B C♯ D E F♯ D F♯ B A F♯ D F♯ A; B C♯ D E F♯ D F♯; F C♯ F E C E; B C♯ D E F♯ D F♯ B A F♯ D F♯ A. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- The theme: B C♯ D E F♯ D F♯, then F C♯ F, E C E. It walks up and then bends.
- Short and sneaky: every note is staccato (detached) and quiet. Tiptoe.
- The same tune, higher: it repeats a fifth higher, then again and again. Learn it once and you know most of the piece.
- Getting faster: the whole piece accelerates to a wild finish. Start slowly and let it build.
Learning In the Hall of the Mountain King on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the notes of In the Hall of the Mountain King?
In B minor: B C♯ D E F♯ D F♯, F C♯ F, E C E, B C♯ D E F♯ D F♯ B A F♯ D F♯ A.
Is In the Hall of the Mountain King easy on piano?
The theme is: it's short and mostly stepwise. The full piece gets fast and loud, which is harder.
More songs to play
Notes checked against the public-domain Mutopia Project edition (mutopiaproject.org). Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.